


Another World

by rangerhitomi



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Use of Psyqualia, Cray AU, Cray Unit Lore, Dragonic Human Kai, Link Joker Invasion, Lucid Dreaming, Multi, Royal Paladin Aichi, Slow Burn, parallel worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27238720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangerhitomi/pseuds/rangerhitomi
Summary: An invading force threatens the peace of Planet Cray. The Vanguard of the Royal Paladins, Sendou Aichi, seeks the aid of the Dragon Empire. Kai Toshiki, the half-dragon Vanguard of the Kagero clan, is reticent about helping. Their fates intertwine as they seek out the truth of the invading Link Joker - as well as their connection to two boys on Planet E.
Relationships: Alfred/Swordsman of Light Ahmes, Kai Toshiki & Miwa Taishi, Kai Toshiki/Sendou Aichi, Tatsunagi Kourin/Tokura Misaki
Comments: 42
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for... ages... and figured I should finally share the overarching plot! I don't know how frequently I'll be able to update since I work full time and am getting my MBA so I haven't been writing as much lately. Maybe posting will give me motivation! Who knows!
> 
> More pairings and characters will be added as it goes, but expect me to add Misaki/Kourin, Nehalem/Marron, maybe some Ahmes/Alfred, and eventually Ibuki/Mamoru. But the main relationship is Kaichi. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope the premise interests you! I'm on the tweeter at rangerhitomi if you want to follow my inane ramblings.

The skies over the Dragon Empire were nothing like the clear blue skies of the United Sanctuary; red and gray, they churned with a powerful, rainless storm that did nothing to dissuade the mix of Narukami and Kagero warriors, ranging from humanoid to draconic, from continuing their harsh training. In fact, the frequent lightning strikes distracted them less than the sight of three silver armored Royal Paladins approaching their stone and crystal stronghold built into a rocky hillside.

The lead Royal Paladin strode forward with head high, ignoring the jeers from the Dragon clans. The second, carrying a broadsword on his back as tall as he was, walked with a purposeful gait and an expression of utter indifference.

The third, and smallest, slouched in the second's shadow, peering around at the clans nervously. Several warriors focused their attention on him, smirking and laughing to themselves, but the small Paladin was fixated on the sight of a humanoid Kagero leader with a long, slender tail - and he must be a leader, the way he stood on high ground with his gold and red tattooed arms crossed, sword sheathed at his side - who turned his attention from the training in front of him to stare directly at the small Paladin.

Even from such a distance, the small knight could feel this Kagero's intense stare, burning into his very soul like the sun beating down on this desolate wasteland. Yet he couldn't look away; the terrifying beauty of the dragons roaring in the sky were nothing compared to the terrifying beauty of this one man.

"The Vanguard," the middle knight said in a low voice. This was Ahmes, wielder of the legendary Blaster Blade, and the youngest knight's mentor. "Some call him the Dragonic Overlord, a title he acquired from his father."

If that man was the Vanguard of Kagero, then he was the equal to Sendou Aichi, the Vanguard of the Royal Paladins. Yet, to Aichi, a vast chasm of experience separated the two of them; where the son of the legendary dragon lord radiated authority and confidence, Aichi had yet to make a name for himself in any meaningful way outside of the Holy City. In this, there was nothing equal about them.

Uneasiness filled him as they continued to walk. 

A blond-haired human man of average height and build waited for them by the entrance to the crystalline palace, offering a jovial wave. 

“Hi!” he called out, his cheerfulness contrasting with the overall stern and uncaring atmosphere of the rest of the Dragon Empire that Aichi had seen until now. “Here to see Kai?”

“Yes,” Aichi said, able to relax just slightly in the presence of such an unorthodox denizen of the Empire. “We are from--”

“Oh, it’s pretty easy to see you’re Royal Paladins,” the man interrupted, hands on his hips. His armor was dark leather, like the rest of the warriors, but with splashes of red and gold on the trim. “I’m Miwa Taishi, of the Kagero clan.”

“Sendou Aichi.” Aichi gestured at his traveling companions, who nodded in turn as he introduced them. “Gancelot and Ahmes.”

Miwa nodded at them, flashing a casual two-fingered salute of sorts. “Kai will be here soon. He’s overseeing training today.”

“We saw,” Ahmes said. “You seem… familiar with him.”

“Oh, you mean not using his title?” Miwa laughed. “Nah, we’re childhood friends.”

“Which isn’t an excuse to disregard my title in front of a rival clan,” a cool voice behind them said, and Aichi jumped slightly as the man from earlier walked past, a head taller than Aichi but still shorter than Ahmes. 

"Our guests from United Sanctuary, m'lord." Miwa gestured at the three of them as he stepped to Kai's side, dropping his casual tone.

Close up, Aichi noticed that Kai's tattoos were not tattoos at all, but actual gold and red scales that extended from the backs of his slender clawed hands up under his robes and to the curve of his neck. A dragonic human; such a creature was a rarity even in the Dragon Empire, where humanoid lizardfolk were a common race, but here he was, and the Vanguard to boot.

His slitted green eyes swept over Aichi, over Ahmes, and settled finally on Gancelot. His thin tail, also covered in reddish-gold scales and tipped with a lethal-looking spike, flicked lazily across the floor. "Are you the Vanguard?"

He had a soft voice that somehow carried the sharpness of a blade. Aichi was aware of Ahmes giving him a raise of the eyebrow, a silent gesture to encourage Aichi to take the initiative and introduce himself as the leader, but Aichi's jaw suddenly wouldn't work and his throat went dry.

"No," Gancelot said after a few seconds of silence. He, too, must have waited for Aichi to interject, to no avail. He swept his hand in Aichi's direction. "He is our Vanguard."

Kai looked him over with unblinking intensity. Aichi stood as still as he could, hoping that Kai couldn't see his hands trembling, the bulge of his throat as he swallowed, the beads of sweat trickling into his armor. But he knew Kai could see all of this, and more; he could see Aichi's discomfort and sense his nerves, and he would know that Aichi was ill-suited to be in the army of the United Sanctuary at all, let alone its Vanguard.

"What is his name?" Kai asked, eyes still fixed on Aichi's, and it was perhaps this blatant disregard for Aichi's very presence that unglued Aichi's jaw.

" _My _ name," he said, voice quivering, "is Sendou Aichi."

"It seems the knights of the Holy City will let anyone be the Vanguard," Kai mused, sweeping his gaze over Aichi's shoulders and down his arms. 

Aichi didn't know whether Kai was commenting on his nerves or was judging him based on his size, but either way his irritation swelled and he clenched his fists. "Anyone who proves themselves can be the Vanguard."

"Is that so." Kai jerked his head toward Miwa and turned on his heel. "You'll find the Dragon Empire does things a little differently than the United Sanctuary, Little Vanguard."

He couldn't have retorted to this insult if he'd tried; Kai outclassed him, both physically and in confidence.  _ He's trying to dissuade me from pushing further for his help, _ Aichi thought; Kagero, with its immense physical prowess, was indispensable in the fight against the Void. If he ceded an inch, the fight was over, and Cray would be destroyed. 

“We come seeking your assistance, as I stated in my letter to you,” Aichi said, forcing his shoulders back. “Cray is in danger from--”

Kai laughed to himself as he half-turned to face the Paladins, the corners of his mouth curling up enough in a smile that Aichi could see two sharp incisors in a mouth full of otherwise human teeth. “Relax, Little Vanguard. Let’s sit and talk somewhere more comfortable than my hallway.” He turned his back on them and strode off without another word.

"Are you coming?" Miwa chimed in, gesturing toward the heavy oak doors through which Kai had disappeared.

Ahmes gave Aichi's shoulder a tiny squeeze, and Aichi glanced up into his face. "King Alfred trusts you to fulfill your mission as the Vanguard of the Royal Paladins. Kagero's Vanguard is trying to rattle you, only because he senses your strength and wants to see you at your best."

It certainly didn't feel like Kai was trying to encourage Aichi, but Ahmes had never misled him before. Besides, Aichi had to represent his clan with dignity and courage, qualities that Alfred had seen in him before appointing him to the coveted title of Vanguard. 

He nodded and strode forward, shoulders straightened.

Aichi expected a throne room of sorts, a dais atop which Lord Kai sat in his regal reds and golds; he did not expect a small chamber with a table and round, checkered board set up; rounded stones of various colors sat in bowls on a desk by the windowsill. After lighting some lanterns on the wall, Kai collected these bowls and nodded his head at one of the chairs at the table. 

“Have a seat.”

Ahmes and Gancelot waited by the door, Ahmes’s hand on his waist. Miwa plopped on his stomach on an oversized chaise lounge that didn’t quite match the rest of the decor and rested his head on his propped up fists. He’d seen this before, then, whatever it was they were about to do, and was eager to watch. Aichi’s stomach churned with anxiety.

Kai took a clear stone out of a bowl and sat down across from Aichi.

“You pick up on things well?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. I’ll only explain the rules once.”

A game of some sort, though Aichi couldn’t guess at Kai’s motivation. He nodded.

It wasn’t a complicated game. Each color of stone represented a warrior of differing strength, from the lowest level to mid level to high level to Vanguard. Each person took turns placing one of fifty stones on the board, replacing low level stones with the higher, and then “attacking,” which consisted of jumping one stone of an equal or higher level over the opponent. That stone would then leave the board. The Vanguard waited unmoving at the back of the board, directing “warriors” with the end goal of capturing the opposing Vanguard. Yellow, red, and green stones could be used at any point and allowed the player to upgrade existing stones, add a new stone to the board, or even bring a stone back that had been discarded earlier, though they were limited to four of each of these. 

Kai was exceptionally good at this game. Twice, when Aichi came close to his mid-level stones reaching Kai’s Vanguard, Kai used a green stone to bring back one of his discarded mid-level stones and blocked Aichi’s path. But Aichi imitated his actions, calling stones to the board after Kai did, and powering up when Kai got too close to Aichi’s Vanguard. 

“Clever move,” Kai remarked as Aichi blocked his high-level unit with a red stone. “You do learn quickly.”

Oddly, the mechanics felt familiar, despite this being a game Aichi was now certain Kai had invented for his personal enrichment. Twice, Aichi uttered the words “critical” and “heal” when placing his yellow and green stones, despite the words having nothing to do with the game; Kai’s frown deepened but he said nothing, instead placing his own stones to counter. Aichi placed another stone, pushed forward, and eliminated one of Kai’s mid-level stones, opening up a hole that, if he could fend off Kai this turn, he could exploit.

“Hm.” Kai prodded a stone forward to Aichi’s left flank and reached for his last yellow stone.

Too late, Aichi noticed a gap in his own defensive formation. 

Kai’s attack pushed Aichi’s line back, and he placed his last unit in front of Aichi’s Vanguard.

“I win.”

Aichi pressed his lips together in a tight line as he surveyed the board. With the game over, he could see at least four misplays that cost him early and forced him to use up his Heals--

_ Heals? _

As he struggled to come up with an explanation for the words  _ heal  _ and  _ critical  _ and  _ draw _ slipping into his mind, Miwa straightened up on the bed and pointed at the board. 

“You made several mistakes that would have cost real lives on the battlefield.”

Aichi’s teeth ground together, partly out of embarrassment and partly out of indignation.

Unbothered, Kai began to collect the stones, placing them back in their respective bowls. “But, you have potential. You and the other Paladins may stay the night.” He smiled, his sharp fangs glistening in the candlelight. “I’ll make my final decision in the morning.”

* * *

The night air of Kagero held none of the cool, quiet comfort of the Holy City. It was a hot night, and dusty; the dragonfolk surely slept comfortably, but Aichi couldn't. Even stripping down to a light undershirt and half-trousers didn't stop him from sweating. Worse, he kept replaying his sound defeat over and over in his mind, keeping him from sleep even if he could get comfortable.

There was no point in lying in bed, he thought as he wandered into the dark, empty hallway. He wasn't a prisoner; he could come and go as he pleased, but he still walked on the balls of his bare feet so as to make as little noise as possible. Not grabbing some boots on his way out would be his biggest regret of the night as he stepped outside onto the rocky ground of the courtyard and felt something scuttle over his foot.

"Ah!"

Lunging forward, he broke into a dead sprint, letting his feet touch the ground only long enough to spring back into the air. A couple of guards nearby laughed loudly and Aichi, breathing heavily, sank onto a stone bench next to a small fountain.

Embarrassing, he thought, tucking his scraped feet onto the bench as he turned his back to the guards. Ahmes would certainly chide him for leaving his back open in enemy territory, but the fountain's rhythmic spurts of water almost reminded him of home.

Home. How would he tell King Alfred that he'd not only failed to secure Kagero's help in the war against the Void, and thus the help of the powerful other Dragon Empire clans Murakumo, Nubatama, Tachikaze, and Narukami, but that the Dragonic Overlord had thoroughly embarrassed him in a war game?

The dust was making him thirsty, and the fountain water was clear, so after checking the ground for any unpleasantries, he slid off the bench, hand outstretched toward the fountain.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

Aichi jerked his hand back and spun around. This time unaccompanied by Miwa, Kai strode toward him in a simple sleeveless robe as his tail dragged across the dusty ground behind him. Like Aichi, his feet were bare; unlike Aichi, his feet were scaled, the golds and reds flashing in the bright moonlight like the scales on his arms, and he seemed totally unaffected by the sharp ground beneath him. Out of his armor, he seemed... less intimidating. More human.

"Inside," he said loudly, waving his hand behind him, and the guards snapped a salute at his back and hurried into the palace.

_ Almost  _ less intimidating.

"Water is a scarce resource here in Kagero," Kai said, placing his hands behind his back as he came to a halt on the other side of the bench.

Aichi's face warmed. "I didn't know I wasn't meant to-"

"This water," Kai interrupted, "is toxic, even to the denizens of Kagero. For a human such as yourself, it would likely kill you within a couple of days." He finally turned his unblinking green gaze on Aichi, who steeled himself against the inhuman intensity. A smile twisted his face. "It wouldn't be good optics to have the Vanguard of the Holy City's Royal Paladins drop dead on my watch. King Alfred might think I had you poisoned."

"I didn’t think you were concerned about war with the United Sanctuary," Aichi said carefully.

His twisted smile morphed into something a little... softer, unless Aichi was imagining it. "Kagero hasn't been at war, not outright, anyway, since I became Vanguard. It's a needless waste of resources and right now I don’t have anything to gain from it."

The scales on his foot flashed as he smashed a scuttling insect underfoot. Aichi forced himself to look up at Kai's face again. "Is that why you refuse to help?"

Kai brushed his foot against the ground and sat on the bench, facing Aichi. "I told you, I'm not concerned. Let the Void come here; we will crush it without having to leave our home."

Here was another opportunity to make his case for Kagero’s assistance, but was there any way Aichi could do so without weakening his clan’s stature in Kai’s eyes? He would have to be strategic, but not deferential. “Maybe,” Aichi said slowly, “but even if you could ward off the Void alone, it would cost your clan hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives. Wouldn’t it be better to join forces, to minimize casualties?”

“Hm.” Kai frowned at the sky, where the planets nearest Cray hung low on the horizon. “How certain could you be that there is any threat to Cray at all?”

“As I stated in my letter to you,” Aichi said, trying not to seem as though he were disgruntled about Kai not reading the letter he had worked on for an entire afternoon, “the Vanguard of the Oracle Think Tank had a premonition about a dark, merciless force invading Cray.”

Kai pondered this for a moment. “Tokura Misaki?” 

“Yes. If we don’t combine forces--”

“I heard you.”

“If you have no interest in helping, then why invite us?”

“I wanted to see who you were for myself.” Kai looked at him, and Aichi forced himself to stare into those slitted green eyes. “The youngest Vanguard in the history of the United Sanctuary? I was intrigued.”

“And now that I’m here?”

Kai leaned back and stared at the swirling red sky. "You caught my interest."

Aichi, who had expected descriptors like  _ small, timid,  _ and  _ shy,  _ was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"No one has defeated me at the game, of course, but you..." Kai closed his eyes. The muscles in his face and neck relaxed. "You came the closest. The concept of the game came easily to you."

There was no way to tell Kai that the setup of the game felt familiar, yet distant; it was almost as though in some other life, he played a game with similar mechanics. A ridiculous prospect, and that was exactly why Aichi would say nothing.

“What did you mean when you referred to the yellow stones as  _ critical _ ?” 

Aichi winced. “I don’t know. It was a, a slip of the tongue, I guess.”

“You said it twice.”

“I don’t know,” Aichi said again, quieter.

Kai didn't push the subject. He continued to stare at the sky, with his clawed finger scraping against the stone bench. Just as Aichi was trying to work out a way to excuse himself without coming across as rude, Kai straightened up. 

"I want to see what else you're capable of."

A high-pitched _huh?_ slipped from Aichi's mouth before he composed himself with a lightly cleared throat and a firmer "what?"

"Are you good at fighting?" 

He _was_ the Vanguard; he never would have gotten to this point if he couldn't hold his own in a fight. "I'm better with magic, but yes."

"Show me."

"R-right now?"

Kai held out his clawed hand as though expecting Aichi to conjure a sword from midair and demonstrate. Aichi huffed and stood, determinedly not looking at the insects scuttling around on the ground by his bare feet.

"I'll show you in the morning."

"Will you?" A wry smile graced Kai's mouth. 

"Good night, Lord Kai."

Kai said nothing in response; Aichi walked calmly back into the palace. When he settled back in the oversized bed in the oversized guest room, he stared at the silk canopy overhead, feeling less nerve-wracked than he had just six hours ago. Kai hadn't refused to help. Aichi felt that their conversation had gone well. He had kept his composure, for the most part. 

Maybe there was hope for Cray after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aichi and Kai spar for the first time. Aichi makes a decision that Ahmes deeply opposes.

The warriors of the Dragon Empire woke before the sun, a routine that Aichi certainly did not have, nor was it one he  _ wanted  _ to have.

It took Ahmes fifteen minutes to shake Aichi out of bed, ignoring Aichi’s grumbling and complaining; when they ate breakfast in the cavernous guest dining room, Aichi yawned over his toast and sausage. The only saving grace was the coffee, which had a rich, dark flavor and brought some life into Aichi’s exhausted body. 

But when it came time to participate in the Empire’s daily training, he was nothing but jitters, and he found himself on his back against the rocky earth five times in ten minutes.

“Not fast enough,” Kai said, pushing the tip of his practice sword into Aichi’s shoulder. “Again.”

Aichi suppressed a sigh and rolled himself back to his knees, then his feet. He staggered slightly as he bent to pick up his sword. 

He had long since learned not to complain when he was tired, not to dramatize his weariness. He was a knight of the United Sanctuary, and he would prove his strength to this dragon lord.

Kai didn’t wait for Aichi to straighten up before he struck again; this time, Aichi read the sweep of Kai’s strike and deflected it easily. When he jabbed at Kai’s knee, he caught Kai off-balance just enough to dodge a crescent sweep. 

Their fighting styles were vastly different. While Kai clearly favored overwhelming force and decisive blows, Aichi preferred a series of several lighter, faster strikes in weak areas, whittling the opponent down before his powerful finisher. 

Aichi landed several blows to Kai’s knees and ankles, yet Kai maintained his composure, seemingly unbothered by Aichi’s attempts to wear him down. Ultimately, it was Aichi whose stamina faltered first.

“Tired already?” Kai aimed a blow at Aichi’s shoulder, the blunt tip of the practice sword making impact with a painful thud, and Aichi stumbled backward, landing hard on the ground. “Come, Little Vanguard! Have you reached your limit?” 

Every muscle in Aichi’s body ached; his exhaustion had caught up with him. He doubted he had enough energy in him to stop one more attack…

“Break through your limits, Sendou Aichi!”

Aichi’s sword arm moved on its own, but rather than attempting to block the incoming attack, he pointed the blunt sword tip directly at Kai and conjured up an image of energy emanating from it.

Perhaps he was too unfocused to use his magic, or maybe he was still too tired, but rather than being a blast of non-elemental energy, his silent spell came out from the tip of the sword as a stream of fire.

Despite Aichi’s barrage of attacks intended to slow Kai’s movements, he was able to evade the fire, though barely. 

“Fire… huh?” Kai brushed at his slightly singed shoulder pad, his incisors visible behind his amused smile. “You think that was an effective offense against a clan of flame dragons?”

“It wasn’t intended as an attack.” Aichi pushed himself to his knees, praying silently that they wouldn’t collapse under him in front of Kai when he moved to stand. “I couldn’t deflect your attack, so…”

“Hm.” Kai reached out a clawed hand. “Was fire your intent?”

“My intent was stopping your attack.”

True yet evasive, and obviously so to someone as shrewd as Kai Toshiki.

Kai hummed again and gave his hand a little shake. “Come on. Stand up, Vanguard.”

Aichi finally reached up and took it. Kai’s fingers tightened around Aichi’s as he pulled him effortlessly to his feet. He eyed Aichi’s dirty uniform, face scrunched up. 

“Get cleaned up and meet me in the audience chamber in an hour.” 

Aichi leaned against his practice sword, pressed into the hard, rocky ground. A bath sounded nice to soothe the dozen or so bruises he was sure he had now; more than anything, he just wanted to rest. “Where--”

Kai was already walking away, hand waving dismissively. “Miwa will show you.”

“Eh?” Miwa, who had started to follow Kai, stopped abruptly. “I will?”

A hand gripped Aichi’s sore shoulder. He couldn’t suppress the grimace. 

“You did well, my Vanguard,” Ahmes said quietly. He gave Aichi a gentle nudge to follow Miwa back into the palace.

“I failed to secure victory.” 

“If the Overlord did not see merit in your fight, he would not be asking us to meet with him further,” Gancelot said in a low voice. 

Aichi wasn’t convinced, but he nodded and followed Miwa into the palace regardless.

* * *

A hot bath could really do wonders for anxiety.

After Miwa escorted him into a small, windowless bathing chamber with an enormous bath built into the crystalline floor (“make sure not to drink any of the water by accident,” he said cheerfully as he left), Aichi allowed himself to sink into the hot water -- almost too hot, but his aching bones welcomed it -- and think about the upcoming conversation with Kai and how he was to convince a reticent leader to join a fight for the survival of the planet. And when he finally finished his bath and followed a tall, silent human knight in dark armor to the audience chamber, he felt much less apprehension than he had before.

“My Vanguard.”

“Bring him in, Nehalem.”

The dragon knight, Nehalem, gestured for Aichi to enter the dim, enormous chambers before closing the door on his way out. Ahmes and Gancelot sat across from Kai at a long table next to a roaring fire; Kai wore ornate robes in red and gold that matched the scales along his hands, arms, and neck and leaned an elbow on the arm of a high-backed chair of dark stained wood, looking almost bored. Next to him, Miwa sat in his normal armor with a look of excitement on his face. At least  _ one  _ of them was about to have a good time.

Gancelot and Ahmes stood as Aichi approached, placing their fists over their chests in salute. “My Vanguard,” they murmured in unison, and Aichi nodded as he took his place between them, directly across from Kai. 

Kai’s slitted green eyes swept over the red, black, and gold light armor Aichi now wore. “I see you have taken to our dress.”

“It was draped over a chair near the bath,” Aichi replied. “I assumed it meant you would be insulted if I wore my dirty Royal Paladin armor for a formal meeting.”

For a second, Aichi thought he saw the corners of Kai’s mouth twitch upward. But Kai straightened up, face lacking emotion, and Aichi wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not.

“Well, let’s get to business, then.” Kai held out a hand toward Miwa, who placed a folded letter in it. Aichi recognized the handwriting on the outside immediately. “You have gained the support of the other clans of the United Sanctuary, Star Gate, Zoo, and are negotiating with Aqua Force’s navy to clinch the support of Magallanica. So you’re trying to get the Dark Zone and the Dragon Empire now.”

“That’s correct.”

“It’s impressive you managed to convince so many clans.” Kai handed the letter back to Miwa without looking at him. “The United Sanctuary alone is an impressive military force. Angel Feather, Genesis, Oracle Think Tank, Gold and Royal Paladins…”

Aichi tensed.

“...the Shadow Paladins.”

Aichi sucked in a breath. Kai noticed, a bemused smile on his face as he leaned his chin on his fist again.

“I take it that’s a no.”

“The Shadow Paladins may be part of the United Sanctuary in name,” Aichi said, avoiding Kai’s intense gaze, “but they are… difficult to communicate with.”

An understatement. 

“Weren’t they Royal Paladins once?” Miwa pressed.

“Once,” Ahmes said quietly.

“What happened?”

In an uncharacteristic show of reluctance, Ahmes tapped his finger on the back of his other hand and glanced over Aichi’s head at Gancelot. 

“Ideological differences,” Gancelot said evasively.

“I see.” Kai leaned back in his chair, studying Aichi over his folded hands. “Then, why should the Dragon Empire help if you can’t get your own house in order?”

To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Aichi got to his feet and leaned his hands on the table. “This isn’t about Dragon Empire and United Sanctuary. This is about  _ Cray. _ This is about protecting everyone on  _ Cray.  _ There’s no good in squabbling over clan loyalty when the Void swallows up all the clans!” He inhaled sharply before bowing his shoulders toward Kai. Next to him, Ahmes made a small noise and Gancelot reached for Aichi’s arm, but Aichi shook his head warningly, staring directly at the table beneath him. “I, Sendou Aichi, Vanguard of the Royal Paladins of the Holy City, humbly beg the Overlord of the Dragonic Empire for his help in protecting the people of Cray.”

He kept his head bowed for what felt like an eternity before Kai spoke at last. 

“Stand up, Vanguard.”

Aichi inhaled again, exhaled, and straightened up. His heart raced, faster by far than when he was fighting Kai. He clenched his trembling hands, and waited for Kai’s answer.

Kai simply stared, his eyes boring into Aichi’s -- and it was so, so difficult to maintain eye contact with such an intense look -- before he stood in turn. 

“How long,” he said slowly, “until the Void comes to Cray?”

Aichi’s heart leapt in his chest. Something of the hope welling inside him must have shown on his face because Kai shook his head.

“I am not agreeing to anything. I just want to know how long.”

“At the earliest, about six months,” Aichi said quickly. “No longer than ten, though. Misaki said that her -- er,  _ Tokura  _ Misaki said that her vision showed the stars between the spring and summer months.”

“Hm.” Kai studied him a moment longer. “I need two months to decide.”

“But--” Aichi opened his mouth to protest. 

“Is that not agreeable, Sendou Aichi?” Kai lifted his hand in Aichi’s direction. 

Two months would cut into their preparations substantially. Further, there was no guarantee that Kai would agree to help by the end of it, in which case Aichi had lost two months planning around uncertainty. But this was as far as he had gotten and if he pushed too hard, he may end up with even less. 

“That… is fine.”

“Good.” Kai sat back down. “And I would like you to stay in Dragon Empire, Sendou Aichi.” He glanced at Ahmes. “Alone.”

_ “What?” _

Ahmes was halfway to his feet before Aichi threw out a hand to catch him. 

“I’m sorry?” Aichi said, gently pushing at Ahmes to sit him back down. 

“Part of my agreement to consider helping you is for you to stay here and train with us.”

“No!”

“Ahmes!” Aichi warned. 

Miwa chuckled, clearly having the time of his life. “Interesting.” 

“My Vanguard,” Ahmes whispered, “you can’t--”

“It’s fine.” Aichi placed his hand on Ahmes’s arm. Apprehension filled him, but he felt an odd sensation of… something for Kai. Like he knew Kai would not harm him. “Two months will give me the time to convince him to help, right?”

“I don’t like this either,” Gancelot interjected.

“What if something happens to you?” Ahmes added.

“You think I would bother hurting him and sparking a war when I don’t even feel like being  _ involved  _ in a war?” Kai sounded bored. 

“I don’t know, would you?” 

“Ahmes,  _ please! _ ” Aichi said exasperatedly. “Yes, Lord Kai, I will take you up on your offer--”

“Aichi!”

“--and thank you for your consideration.”

He gave Kai another short bow before leaving the table, Gancelot and Ahmes following closely behind to protest. 

Aichi closed the doors behind him and sighed heavily. “Ahmes, I need you to trust me.”

“I do, my Vanguard.”

“Then let me do this.” He looked up at him, offering a weary smile. “Even if he refuses in the end to help, I think it would be good to train with them. And I promise, I’ll write once a week. Detailed letters. I’m the Vanguard” (the words still felt strange to say, even now) “and this is the path I have chosen that I believe will lead to the salvation of Cray.”

Ahmes looked over Aichi’s head at Gancelot again. Aichi wished they wouldn’t do that; he felt short enough as it was. “I guess, if this is what you have chosen...” Ahmes sighed before kneeling. Gancelot followed suit. “Then, my Vanguard, we will respect your decision.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahmes and Alfred decide to search out an old enemy for help. Kai asks Miwa for advice on whether he should involve the Dragon Empire in the war against Void.

Alfred didn’t expect them back so soon, nor did he expect them to return without their Vanguard. But when Ahmes explained the situation -- how Aichi had agreed to stay in Dragon Empire to coerce the Overlord to join their cause -- he couldn’t help but feel proud for Aichi. 

“Walk with me?” he offered, and Ahmes agreed.

They strode wordlessly through the glistening marble hall together, slightly heeled boots clicking with each step. Knights stopped in their haste to get from one place to the next to bow; Alfred smiled and gave a gentle wave of the hand each time. 

“You know,” Alfred said after they had wandered into a less busy part of the palace where the likelihood of people eavesdropping was lower, “it’s rare to see you get worked into a tizzy like this.”

“I’m not in a tizzy.” 

“Mm-hmm.” Alfred smiled and stopped in front of the massive library doors. “I know you’re worried, my friend.”

Ahmes sighed softly. “We’ve spent so long at war with the Dragon Empire…”

“I know.” Alfred reached out and placed a hand on Ahmes’s shoulder. “But the Overlord has left his title with his son, who is less… eager, I suppose, to war with us. We’ve been at peace for nearly two years.”

Ahmes nodded, but he still avoided Alfred’s eyes. 

“Still uneasy?” Alfred said gently.

“He’s so young…”

“Barely younger than the Overlord’s son, I understand. And besides.” Alfred gave Ahmes’s shoulder a squeeze before letting it fall to his side. “Aichi is a fine, compassionate, and strong young man. He will be fine.”

Ahmes didn’t get the chance to reply before an overexcited, high-pitched “Blaster Blade!” echoed down the hall and an enormous blue dog barreled into him from behind. Being an uncannily tall man who wore heavy armor with as much comfort and ease as anyone else might wear nightclothes, Ahmes barely stumbled at the impact.

“Wingal, hello.”

“You’re back!” Wingal sat back, ears twitching as his tail wagged excitedly. “I heard from Lady Kourin that she saw…” He trailed off, looking between Ahmes and Alfred, then around the hallway. “Where’s Aichi?”

Alfred winced. “Ah, that’s…”

The library door swung open. A young, small blond knight in loose-fitting sage clothing stood there, clutching several large tomes. “Wingal, you are being noisy again.”

“But Marron, I was excited to see Blaster Blade and Aichi again.”

Marron peered at Ahmes over the top of their red-rimmed glasses. “Oh, you’re back early.” They glanced up and down the hallway in comic imitation of Wingal. “Where is Aichi?”

Alfred and Ahmes had been friends for many years, even before the days of Alfred’s coronation and Ahmes’s knighthood. So Alfred could see the conflict in Ahmes’s eyes, the way he pursed his lips just a little, and knew that Ahmes would be compelled by his very nature to speak the full truth if he but opened his mouth.

So Alfred intervened. “He’s taking care of some diplomatic odds and ends. He’ll be home soon.” 

“Still?” Marron lifted an eyebrow. “Without support?”

“In the Dragon Empire?” Wingal added.

“Aichi will be fine.” Alfred placed a hand on Marron’s shoulder and scratched behind Wingal’s ears with the other. “He has my full confidence in his abilities.”

Wingal relaxed, but Marron still looked skeptical, their eyebrows now furrowed in deep thought. They were a brilliant mage -- it was Alfred’s idea to have Marron train Aichi in the basics of elemental manipulation, due in part to Marron’s studiousness and unwavering loyalty to their Vanguard -- but sometimes Alfred wished they weren’t quite so questioning about everything. 

“Have faith in our Vanguard,” Alfred said soothingly, “and trust that he will return to us soon, having accomplished his goals.”

Marron opened their mouth as if to continue their protest, but as they looked up into Alfred’s face, their stubbornness melted away. “I understand.”

Alfred smiled and patted their shoulder. “You should get back to work, our little sage.”

“Yes, sir.” Marron bowed deeply to both Alfred and Ahmes before gesturing at Wingal. “Come, Wingal. I need your help.”

“Okay! Bye, Blaster Blade! Bye, King Alfred!” 

Alfred waited for the library door to close before placing a hand on Ahmes’s back and leading him along again. Ahmes was typically a quiet, pensive man, but the expression on his face was anything but pensive. “What else?”

“What do you mean?” Ahmes didn’t look at him. 

“Come now, friend, you know better than that.” When Ahmes sighed, Alfred paused again by a closed window. After checking that no one else was around, he gestured to Ahmes to speak. “You’re not  _ just  _ distracted by the Overlord keeping our Vanguard in the Dragon Empire. There’s something else. Out with it.”

Ahmes stared out the window, focused not on the physical world beyond it, but on something deep in his mind. Only one thing rattled Ahmes like this, but Alfred didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. Or, rather, bring  _ him  _ up.

“Junos,” Ahmes said finally, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He glanced at Alfred. “You’re not surprised.”

“No, not really.” Alfred leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Why are you thinking about him all of a sudden?”

“The Overlord.” Ahmes frowned. “He didn’t say outright but hinted that his agreeing to our request hinged on gaining the support of the Shadow Paladins.”

“Mm.” Alfred put a finger to his lips in thought. A conditional agreement to help stave off the greatest physical threat in the history of Planet Cray would indeed be troubling, but it was more so when it came to…

...them.

“Do you know where he is, Alfred?”

“Not immediately. He’s notoriously hard to find if he doesn’t want to be found.”

“Such is his nature.”

Alfred pushed away from the wall, placing his hands on his hips. “We’ll find him.” His mind raced; the Gold Paladins might be best suited to search him out, yet Junos would almost certainly be aware of their efforts. “I’ll see if the Oracles will help out.”

Ahmes nodded. “I can talk to them.” He turned on his heel and strode down the hall, long legs covering the distance with incredible haste. 

“Take Lady Kourin with!” Alfred called after him, and Ahmes waved without turning around. 

Time was ticking. They had only six months until the Void would turn to Cray, two months for Kai Toshiki to agree to help, and only a few weeks just to  _ find  _ Junos -- let alone convince him and their Vanguard to join forces with his sworn enemy in time to convince  _ Kai Toshiki  _ that they had garnered the support of the entire United Sanctuary. 

He clicked his tongue before turning in the opposite direction of Ahmes, back the way they had walked. He couldn’t speed up the search for Junos, but it was time to see how negotiations with Aqua Force were doing.

* * *

Kai stretched, not bothering to hide his wide yawn from Miwa. It was only the third day of training, and the Royal Paladin had already shown signs of improvement. He even laid a blow on Kai’s shoulder that rendered the muscle sore -- not that Kai would let him know that. 

He heard a soft click behind him and turned his head. Miwa had moved his stone forward, cutting off a path to his Vanguard. 

“You gonna play or you gonna lounge around like a lazy dragon?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“A lazy dragon, apparently.”

Kai scoffed before plopping himself back in his chair. He surveyed the board for a moment before nudging a stone to the left. “My father would have eaten you on the spot for talking to him like this.”

“I just want to see at what point you’ll respond in kind,” Miwa said cheekily, placing a yellow stone on the board. 

“Hmph.” Kai peered at the board. “You’re getting better.”

“That’s what you say every time you’re about to destroy me.”

“Hm.”

They played a few more rounds before Kai secured victory, placing his final yellow stone in front of Miwa’s Vanguard. 

“Ah, that brings my record to zero for… a thousand, or something.” Miwa leaned back. “What are your thoughts on the Royal Paladin?”

Kai grunted at the abrupt change in conversation as he placed the stones back in their small bowls. 

“I think he’s pretty good.”

Another grunt.

“Like, maybe a little preemptively promoted to Vanguard but I think he’ll get there.”

Kai placed the bowls back on their shelf.

“Always a pleasure talking with you, m’lord.”

“Miwa.” Kai finally turned around. “What do you think my… the previous Overlord would have said to this whole situation?”

He was opening himself up too much for comfort, but Miwa was his oldest and closest friend, maybe his only friend, in a world where one misplaced alliance would end up costing someone their life. 

Truthfully, he was stalling in giving the Royal Paladins a clear response because he didn’t know  _ what  _ to do. 

“I think…” Miwa glanced up at the ceiling. “It doesn’t matter what he would have done, because you’re not him.”

Kai sighed frustratedly. “That’s unhelpful, Miwa.”

“I mean what I say.” Miwa leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands together on his lap. “Your leadership is different from his. You chose peace over war with the Paladins, when we’ve been at war for decades. You should choose what you believe is right in this situation, too.”

Despite the vagueness of Miwa’s answer, Kai could see the logic behind it. 

“Anyway, I think you should let Sendou Aichi have a day off of you kicking his ass repeatedly,” Miwa said matter-of-factly, clapping his hands together. “He’s been spending longer soaking in the baths after you fight. I think he’s tired.”

“He has no business leading a planet to war if he can’t handle some mild training.” 

“Mild,” Miwa repeated, amused.

Kai clicked his tongue. “Go to bed, Miwa.”

“Yes, my Vanguard.” Miwa swept into an overexaggerated bow. “Oh, might I suggest one more thing?”

“I suppose you’ll offer your unsolicited advice whether I ask for it or not.”

“Spend some time talking to their Vanguard.” Miwa winked. “See if he’s trustworthy or not.”

Kai shooed him out, Miwa chuckling to himself as Kai closed the door, Miwa’s words echoing in his head. 

_ You’re not him. _

He  _ wasn’t  _ him. He never would be. But it didn’t stop him from wishing he  _ could  _ be.

Still, some of Miwa’s advice was sound. Tomorrow, then, he would attempt to have a conversation with Sendou Aichi, one-on-one. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aichi and Kai learn about each other's families over Kai's game. Ahmes and Kourin turn to the Oracle Vanguard Misaki to divine the location of the Blaster Dark, Junos.

When Miwa arrived at sunrise to open the window and wake Aichi, as he had the past few days, Aichi was already awake, tense from the anxiety of the grueling training that he would be subjected to that day.

But instead of telling Aichi to eat breakfast and meet outside, Miwa brought him a cup of coffee and told him to meet Kai in an audience chamber in half an hour. The coffee helped him wake up, or maybe it was a combination of that and the anxiety again.

_ I should stop drinking this,  _ he thought, staring into the dregs at the bottom of the cup. 

As he dressed in the soft cotton shirt and trousers that had been laid out for him -- far more comfortable than the armor he wore when training -- something outside the window caught his attention. Even from this distance, Aichi could make out the gold and red scales, the restlessly swishing tail. Yet he could also sense something  _ off  _ about the way Kai held himself; his shoulders fell forward, his head down as he walked away from a plain door inlaid in a small mound of rock a few hundred meters from the palace. Aichi had asked Miwa on his second day what the building was -- he assumed it was some kind of building, anyway -- and Miwa had eyed it uneasily before assuring Aichi it was nothing to concern himself with. As Miwa was open about most things Aichi asked about, the short, evasive reply had taken him aback. 

He shook his head. It wasn’t any of his business, and besides, he didn’t want to keep Kai waiting long.

Nehalem waited outside the door in exactly the same spot he had been when Aichi had returned here the night before, and Aichi wondered idly whether Nehalem ever really needed to sleep. He tried making conversation and was met with silence; very few denizens of the Dragon Empire were conversationalists, it seemed. Not surprising, given their Vanguard.

When they arrived, Nehalem knocked once, waited for a reply, and gestured Aichi into the room when Miwa opened the door. It was the same chamber Aichi had first played the game of stones in; the table was set up once more, the small bowls of stones neatly arranged next to the board. 

“He’s not here yet,” Miwa said at Aichi’s puzzled glance around the room. “He had… something to attend to this morning.”

Miwa was typically lively in the morning, but today he looked tired; his eyes were shadowed and his smile half-hearted. Aichi thought about asking him if he was feeling all right but decided against it when Miwa waved a hand at the table, and sat down to wait for Kai.

They waited in silence, as Aichi had become accustomed to in this palace. But it was different now, because conversation with Miwa flowed easily most of the time. No, this was uncomfortable.

The door finally opened and Miwa glanced up. 

“How was he--”

Kai shook his head, giving Miwa a stern, pointed look; Miwa’s eyes flicked between Aichi and Kai before he closed his mouth again.

“I didn’t keep you waiting long, I trust.”

Aichi glanced at Miwa again, but Miwa wasn’t looking at him. “No, not long.”

Kai deftly undid the ornate silver clasp holding his cloak in place and hung it from a hook by the door. “Miwa, you will be overseeing the training today.”

“Yes, my Vanguard.” Miwa barely inclined his shoulders in Kai’s direction before nodding at Aichi once and sweeping out of the room without another word.

Kai made a soft noise that might have been a sigh before removing pieces of armor and jewelry, which he set carefully on the chaise. Aichi sat in silence again, leg bouncing under the table. He desperately wanted to know what that building was; it must have been somewhere important, if Kai had donned so many ornate pieces of armor that he never wore during regular training…

He couldn’t help but stare as Kai organized each piece, his back to Aichi. The soft gold rings on his fingers matched the gold of the scales on Kai’s hands; a particularly beautiful clasp on his ear caught Aichi’s attention next. He hadn’t noticed before, had he, that Kai’s ears were pointed, almost elfish? But the more he took in Kai's appearance, uninterrupted, the more he noticed the human features underneath his draconic ones. A slight overbite to accommodate those sharp teeth, high cheekbones, long lashes to offset the harshness of the slitted pupils of his vividly green eyes. 

He remembered a time in his youth, when he was maybe nine or ten, when he asked Ahmes a question that was bothering him. Ahmes had been sitting in the mess hall drinking a cup of coffee as he pored over a report. He was always patient with Aichi, so when Aichi sat across from him, he looked up from his work.

“Blaster Blade, can I ask a question?”

“Of course, Aichi.” Ahmes picked up his mug to take a sip.

“How does a dragon make a baby with a human?”

The question was clearly unexpected, as the typically stoic Ahmes froze mid-sip before lowering the mug with exaggerated slowness. 

“Did you ask Marron?” His voice was strained.

Aichi pouted. “They said I didn’t need to know such a thing.”

Ahmes set down his mug and cleared his throat. “They’re quite right.”

And that was the end of that.

Still, staring at Kai’s scales and tail and claws and sharp incisors on his otherwise human body brought this question unbidden to Aichi’s mind once more. 

“Is there something on my face?”

Aichi jumped, startled. “Wh--”

“You’re staring.”

“S-sorry.” Aichi looked down at his hands.

“Hm.”

Aichi determinedly did not look up at Kai again until Kai was seated and began setting up the board. 

“I thought we might take a day of rest,” Kai said. “Miwa thinks you’ve been overexerting yourself since you’ve been here.”

Loathe as he was to admit that Kai’s training regiment had left him exhausted and sore for the past week, Aichi felt a rush of gratitude toward Miwa for voicing what Aichi would never admit out loud. That, and he didn’t really want to do another ten mile run today. “I suppose.”

“I would hate to have to deal with the consequences of you dropping dead from exhaustion on my watch,” Kai continued without looking at him. He gestured toward the board. “You can have the first turn.”

Aichi nodded and placed his first stone, the same way Kai had that first night they had played. Kai lifted his eyebrow just a little before making his move. The game was on.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, save for the clacking of stone on marble; Aichi paid close attention to his rearguard, cutting off Kai’s advances and earning a brief, satisfied nod in return. 

“How long have you been Vanguard?” Kai asked after a while, placing a yellow stone on the board.

Aichi intercepted and removed a stone. “About ten months.” It felt like a week ago; he still remembered the embarrassment of crying in front of King Alfred when the position was offered to him after the previous Vanguard retired. He didn’t think himself strong enough, or experienced, or even worthy of the position; there were plenty of strong knights who would have made a better Vanguard than he. But Alfred insisted. Even now, Aichi wondered what it was Alfred saw in him, because he struggled every day to see it in himself. 

“Hm.” They exchanged a few more turns. “The last Vanguard. Daigo, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Lord Daigo was leader of the Sanctuary Guard and the Vanguard.” Aichi looked up. “Did you know him?”

“I met him once, when I was younger.”

“When your father was Vanguard?”

Kai pressed his lips together. Aichi wondered fleetingly whether he’d ventured into forbidden territory, but Kai finally nodded. “My father respected him.”

Throughout his childhood, Aichi had learned of the Dragonic Overlord, the United Sanctuary’s greatest enemy, the warmongering dragon who commanded the greatest military might on the planet. Hearing that such a feared beast respected Lord Daigo was startling, but it also amplified Aichi’s anxiety. 

_ Could I ever gain Kai’s respect the way Lord Daigo commanded even the Dragonic Overlord’s?  _ he wondered.

But another question nagged at him for the second time that morning, stronger than before, and it was none of his business but he had been dying to know the answer for the past twenty years.

“Did… do you have a human mother?”

Kai’s hand froze over the board, halfway through placing a green stone.

_ I overstepped,  _ Aichi realized immediately, but it was too late to take the question back so he stammered a quiet apology and clasped his hands together in his lap under the table. 

The stone clacked against the board with more force than Kai usually put into it. 

“Yes,” he breathed out, sitting back. 

“Huh?”

“I had a human mother. And father.”

“Then...“ Aichi’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. 

Kai pressed his clawed hand to his chest. “This body, as you see it, is the result of the Overlord’s will infused into the body of a young, dying orphaned boy. In a very real sense, the Dragonic Overlord is my actual father.” Kai’s eyes softened as he stared at the back of his hand. “He gave me life, after all.”

This startling revelation was such that Aichi couldn’t muster up a reply, not an apology nor a confirmation of his understanding. He simply stared at the board, trying to imagine a small boy losing his parents in the midst of war with the United Sanctuary, and the unbearable pain he must have felt as the Dragonic Overlord imbued his tiny body with the form and power of a dragon. 

“It’s your move,” Kai said, interrupting Aichi’s thoughts.

“Ah… yes. I’m sorry.” Aichi cut off a potential opening on his left flank and pushed forward with help from a red stone. 

“Hm.”

By this point, Aichi recognized that every time Kai made a small humming sound, it was because Aichi succeeded in disrupting Kai’s movements. But he still didn’t have it in him to feel pride in his budding skills; the revelation of Kai’s parentage filled him with deep sorrow. 

“What of your parents?” Kai prodded a stone forward and placed another on the right flank.

“Wh… oh.” Aichi bit his lip, surveying the formation and deciding to strengthen his left rearguards. “My mother and sister live in Magallanica.”

“Magallanica?” Kai frowned, clearly cycling through the three Magallanica clans in his mind to determine which one was more likely to be where the Royal Paladin Vanguard’s family lived. “With the mermaids?”

“With the Bermuda Triangle clan, yes.” Aichi hesitated; Kai had already shared far more than Aichi could have expected, and it wasn’t as though talking about his own family would put him at any more of a disadvantage when it came to negotiating. 

“Are they… mermaids?” 

Kai’s genuine confusion eased the tension instantly; Aichi tried and failed to hold back a snort of laughter. “No,” he managed, half-covering his mouth to hide his smile. “No, they’re both humans.” When Kai continued to frown at the board, Aichi added, “they live on one of the islands in the Magallanica Archipelago.”

“I see.” Kai made his move. “And your father?”

“He... “ Aichi hesitated. Kai had shared his past, and hadn’t needed to, so it was the least he could do to show Kai an ounce of trust. “He left my mother after my sister Emi was born.” 

He didn’t expect condolences and he didn’t receive them. Kai simply made a small noise of what Aichi might have taken as indifference under any other circumstances and went about his turn. Aichi appreciated that. He still felt some resentment toward his father for leaving them and causing his mother heartache and grief, but if he hadn’t, Aichi’s mother wouldn’t have offered him up for training with the Royal Paladins at a young age, and he certainly wouldn’t be here now. He was grateful, at least, for the opportunities born from his father’s betrayal of his own family. 

But now, he had other things to think about. 

He surveyed the board, searching out an opening. Kai had focused much of his power on his right flank; unfortunately, Aichi had to buff his left flank to counter it, leaving his other side weaker. But in the center of Kai’s left rearguard formation… the one opening seemed to call out to him. 

Aichi pressed there, pushing inward with the help of a yellow stone, and Kai made a soft noise of surprise. 

They rapidly exchanged blows, one after the other, with Aichi mounting an offense and forcing Kai to devote more resources to defending. His heart pounded excitedly even as a dull ache bloomed in his head. Maybe…  _ maybe…! _

But Kai’s skill came through in the end, successfully fending off Aichi’s all-out attack just long enough to push through on Aichi’s end and capture the Vanguard. 

Aichi sighed, defeated, as he slumped back in the chair. He had been so close… it was so frustrating to have victory in his grasp only to watch it slip away at the last second. He looked up at Kai after a moment of catching his breath and was surprised to see Kai leaning back in his chair with a tiny smile on his face. 

“That,” Kai said quietly, “was the closest I’ve ever come to losing.”

“I’ll beat you someday,” Aichi replied. 

“Hm.”

They both surveyed the board, with Aichi going over his early plays in his mind. There were a few times he could have buffed his attacking front but chose to defend instead; next time he could…

Kai stood. “You can have the rest of the day to yourself. We’ll resume training at sunrise.”

Aichi looked up. “Y-yeah…” 

When the door closed behind Kai, Aichi smiled at the board, even as the aching in his head increased and fatigue overtook his adrenaline. A nap, maybe… and then time to write a letter back home.

* * *

Many years ago, when a young Oracle with a perfect memory was slated to become the new Vanguard of the Oracle Think Tank conglomerate, CEO Amaterasu feared that enemies of the United Sanctuary would harm the new Vanguard as she traveled to Zoo for an important meeting. She petitioned King Alfred for a small force of warriors to protect her Vanguard from harm in her travels. In response, Alfred sent a small band of Jewel Knights, the regiment of highly skilled female warriors, to escort the young Vanguard in her travels. The leader of this band of knights was Tatsunagi Kourin, the Vanguard, Tokura Misaki.

While at first the two clashed in personality, they quickly grew to rely on one another, becoming allies and, after many life-threatening encounters together, close friends. This, Alfred knew well, and he knew Misaki would be more at ease in a meeting with Ahmes if Kourin was also there. It was why he sent Kourin with Ahmes to secure assistance in locating the elusive wielder of the Dark Sword, Junos. 

“Blaster Blade,” Misaki said, giving him a courteous bow, “Lady Kourin.”

“Lady Misaki,” Ahmes replied, returning the bow; Kourin echoed him, adding a warm smile, which Misaki graciously returned. 

“Come this way.” 

Misaki strode gracefully down the towering corridors of the Conglomerate, her long silk kimono of dark blue swishing against her ankles with each step. “Blaster Dark is notoriously difficult to find,” she said as they walked. “What is it you could want with him?”

“We need to secure his support in fighting the Void,” Ahmes said. 

“Him?” Misaki glanced over her shoulder at him, skepticism in her eyes. “I don’t think he would help even if I find him in time. Why him?”

“Our Vanguard is currently working on securing the support of the Dragonic Overlord,” Kourin said. “But the Overlord is being stubborn about it.”

“Sounds like Kai Toshiki,” Misaki muttered, and Kourin stifled a laugh behind an obviously fake cough. 

Ahmes gave Kourin a stern look; she shrugged. “We think if we can secure the Shadow Paladins’ assistance, the Overlord will be more… willing to help.”

“I see.” Misaki stopped in front of a nondescript door and unlocked it. “It’s more private here.” 

She stepped back to allow Ahmes and Kourin to enter the small room, dimly lit by fragrant candles. Dark colored cushions covered the floor, surrounding a low table on which a deck of cards and a series of crystals sat. Misaki lowered herself to her knees in one graceful sweep, and gestured for Ahmes and Kourin to join her.

Kourin, who wore light armor and a short skirt, was able to follow suit with no difficulty; Ahmes, who wore heavy armor ill-suited for doing kneeling for more than a few minutes at a time, had more trouble. Misaki and Kourin watched him struggle to tuck his heeled boots under his rear in a way that would not cause him immense discomfort within five minutes. With the growing discomfort of them watching him so intently, he finally gave up and sighed quietly, opting to splay his legs under him rather than sit directly on the heels of his boots. His knees started cramping almost immediately. 

“Now…” Misaki took the cards and laid several out on the table in what appeared to be a very specific order. She touched each one thoughtfully before turning over the first one and frowning.

Ahmes watched her work, trying to gain some comprehension from her bizarre methodology and finding none. Each card had a picture on it with a caption written in the language of the Celestials, which he could not read. But he didn’t question her methods. Her divination had never been wrong before and he had no reason to believe she would be wrong now.

Her frown deepened as she flipped over the last card. “That can’t be right,” she muttered.

“What is it, Misaki?” Kourin leaned forward to peer at the cards. 

“I need to do it again to make sure.”

She shuffled the cards back into the deck, laying them out on the desk before spreading them all out in a discordant manner before collecting them again. Once more, she placed several cards on the table, touched them gently, and took a deep breath before flipping over the first card.

It was the same card as before.

Undeterred, she flipped each card, muttering to herself as they revealed themselves in exactly the same order, down to the last one. 

“It wasn’t wrong, then.”

“Do you know where he is?” Ahmes prompted, knees aching from sitting for so long.

Misaki touched the first card. “Deep in a forest--” the next card “--where the trees have died-- the sky is dark-- a crimson palace-- the souls of the damned-- the cursed sword-- the Vanguard-- and an entourage of nightmares.”

The first few cards narrowed Junos’s location to Dark Zone, certainly. No forests existed in the Dragon Empire or Star Gate, and Zoo had no dead forests thanks to Neo Nectar. A crimson palace was the place within, though there were several that Ahmes knew of, belonging to some vampire or another. The souls of the damned implied they were indeed in the territory of the Dark Irregulars, the cursed sword was Junos. 

“The Vanguard… Suzugamori Ren?”

Misaki nodded.

“What is this entourage of nightmares?” Kourin asked, pointing at the last card.

Misaki stared at it distastefully. “The Pale Moon circus.”

A vampire castle in the middle of the Dark Zone, surrounded by demons and the creepy dolls and puppets that made up a troupe of what the denizens of the Dark Zone considered entertainment. 

Kourin sighed, her thoughts reflecting Ahmes’s. “I guess it was too much to hope he would be vacationing in Magallanica for an idol concert, huh?” 

Misaki gave her an apologetic smile. “I did the reading twice. This is where he is, I’m certain of it.”

Ahmes pushed himself to his knees and, ignoring the uncomfortable tingling shooting through his legs, forced himself to his feet. “Lady Misaki, thank you.”

“Be careful,” Misaki warned. 

“Of course.”

“Blaster Blade, may I speak with Lady Misaki alone for a moment?” 

Kourin’s voice was casual, perhaps too much so. It wasn’t his place to pry.

“Yes, I’ll wait in the hall.”

He closed the door behind him, giving his tingling legs a solid shake that rattled his armor. To give them time to wake up, he leaned heavily against the wall and watched a pair of Battle Sisters half his height arguing about something in heated tones. But his mind was focused on the arduous task ahead. He knew  _ where  _ Junos was. The only problem now was getting  _ to  _ him. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred enlists the help of Ezel, the Vanguard of the Gold Paladins, to help in Ahmes's search for Junos. Aichi continues training with Kai, but his exhaustion finally catches up with him...

_ Ahmes, _

_ Being in the Dragon Empire has been exhausting. Lord Kai drives his soldiers hard, and makes no exception for me. Sometimes, I feel like he’s being extra hard on me. But he’s not treating me poorly. We took a break from training and played his stone game, and I came really close to winning! He was impressed, I think. He also told me about himself and I think he works really hard to be a Vanguard that others respect. His soldiers respect him too, but I don’t think they fear him like you said they feared the previous Overlord. Lord Kai won’t talk about him, though. Let me tell you about some of the formation techniques I’ve learned this week… _

“Blaster Blade, the Vanguard of the Gold Paladins is here to see you.”

Ahmes looked up from the letter, his third time reading it, and stood. “Please.”

Among the several regiments of Gold Paladins, whose missions included securing the borders and investigating the other nations of Cray for impropriety, no leader was more respected and more loved than the Incandescent Lion, Ezel. Indeed, with his imposing stature that rivaled Ahmes’s own, his lightning reflexes, and his mane of golden hair, he resembled a lion in more ways than one. There were no other Vanguards who looked their title more perfectly than Ezel. 

“Blaster Blade.”

“Ezel, thank you for coming.” Ahmes waved a hand toward the chair across from him, inviting him to sit.

Ezel placed his hands on his hips as he stood over the table, peering down at the map that Ahmes had laid out. Unlike any of the Royal Paladins in the Holy City, Ezel seemed to prefer wearing his armor over his highly chiseled, bare chest. In fact, Ahmes wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Ezel wear a shirt but then realized it wasn't really any of his concern. “I’d prefer to stand, thank you. I’ve secured the help of the Aqua Force navy and they made me sit for hours on end.”

As expected. Soryuu Leon would have respected no one more than Ezel. Alfred had made the perfect choice sending him. “That’s excellent news. Aichi will be pleased to hear it.”

“I heard he’s in Dragon Empire?” 

“Yes, he’s… working with the Overlord for their support.”

“Is that right.” Ezel pointed toward an area of the map, his hand covered in a rough leather gauntlet. Ahmes looked down at where he gestured. “King Alfred said you wanted a corps to go into the Dark Zone?”

_ Right to the point, as always.  _ “I’m looking for Junos.”

“I see.” 

Ahmes waited a beat for Ezel to ask why; when he didn’t, Ahmes figured Ezel didn’t really want to know why. “The only clues we have are that it’s in a forest, in a crimson palace, and that Junos is accompanied by Suzugamori Ren and at least a few emissaries of Pale Moon and Dark Irregulars.”

“Right.” Ezel tapped a spot on the map, toward the southernmost reaches of the Dark Zone. “They’ll be here.”

Even knowing that Ezel was a skilled navigator who knew Cray better than most, the speed at which he declared Junos’s location took Ahmes aback. “How can you be sure?”

“There’s a palace here--” Ezel picked up a nearby marker and dotted a spot “--here-- and here. They’re all within about twenty miles of each other.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Only the vampires and Amon live in palaces but they don’t like each other so they tend to spread out. Junos’ll be in one of these three places.” 

Several things unnerved Ahmes about this entire situation, but none so much as the chilling revelation that they would have to venture into Sonne Grab, the land of eternal night. “Leave it to Junos to venture there,” he murmured. Part of him wanted to leave Junos there and let the Shadow Paladins assist them in the war against Void of their own volition once the invasion began, but he entertained the thought only fleetingly. If Aichi could bravely face the mercy of the Dragon Empire for the sake of Cray, Ahmes could, too. “What is the quickest way there?”

“Hmm.” Ezel trailed his fingers first over the western route, from United Sanctuary straight into the Dark Zone, then to the east, cutting through the Dragon Empire. “Fastest way is west, safest is probably through the Empire if we’ve got the Overlord in good graces. Either way, I recommend a small corps, no more than a dozen to avoid attracting attention.”

This was sound reasoning; Ahmes had already considered the merits of a small group. “Who would be best suited for a mission through the Dark Zone?”

Ezel contemplated this for a moment and brushed the map absently with the back of his finger. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend bringing along anyone who uses magic. There aren’t any elemental spirits residing in the entire nation so there’s nothing to draw power from.”

Marron would be upset about that. They had been begging Alfred to leave the Holy City to test out their new spells for some time. “What of high beasts?”

“I think they would be very sensitive to the stench of decay in Sonne Grab, but one would be useful for tracking. Other than that, elves and humans would be best suited.”

A few names popped into Ahmes’s mind as he thought about who to bring on this excursion; he regretted not being able to bring Marron, which meant he wouldn’t bring Wingal along, either. The two were strong partners in battle. He looked up at Ezel, who stared at the map with sharp gold eyes, one more of his lionish attributes. Like Junos, Ezel had once been a Royal Paladin. Like Junos, Ezel had been too free-spirited and bold to be satisfied with the rigidity of life in the Holy City. And like Junos was able to amass a following of disaffected Royal Paladins to form his Shadow corps, Ezel had been respected and admired enough to pull other Royal Paladins into the new clan of Golds. 

At any rate, it was best to bring a Vanguard along to negotiate. Perhaps Ezel’s similarities with Junos would be enough to garner some respect.

“Ezel, would you care to put together a team for this mission?”

“Mm? What was that?”

“I would like you to lead this mission.” Ahmes hesitated. He hated admitting it, even to an ally, but… “I think you’re best suited for it.”

A devilish grin creeped across Ezel’s face. “Oh? The mighty Blaster Blade has admitted my superiority?” He laughed, full and hearty. “Relax, Ahmes,” he added, correctly interpreting Ahmes’s failed attempt at hiding a grumpy frown, “I will do this. For you, old friend, for King Alfred, and for your Vanguard.”

Ahmes gave Ezel a respectful bow. Despite Ezel’s jests, he truly was grateful. “Your service to Cray is deeply valued. When shall we leave?”

* * *

It was an especially long, grueling day of training and Aichi was exhausted.

Every muscle in Aichi’s body begged for relief, but even after the sun began its descent, Kai continued his barrage of attacks. Maybe the training was paying off, or maybe Aichi was just lucky, but it was easier to dodge and deflect two weeks into his stay here, and Kai seemed (maybe?) to be enjoying himself. 

That was well and good for Kai, but Aichi, who was kneeling on the ground trying to get up, was not enjoying himself after nine hours of it.

Aside from sore muscles and fatigue, Aichi was now experiencing headaches, which had increased in frequency and intensity over the past few days, as well as mild dizziness. It may have been dehydration, he thought. It wasn’t as though Kai was depriving him of water, but the dragon warriors didn’t need water breaks like Aichi did, and it was hot and dry. 

“Come on, Aichi,” Kai declared, holding out his hand at exactly the moment a violent dizzy spell swept over Aichi.

He grunted, catching himself with one hand on the ground. His vision swam, colors blending together to create entirely new shapes, surrounding Kai in a kind of strange blue light. 

For a moment, just a moment, Kai looked like a human, holding his hand out as his voice echoed distantly,  _ Aichi… Aichi… _

“I’m trying,” he said hoarsely, and squeezed his eyes shut to orient himself.

Below him, the earth was hot and rocky. Here in the Dragon Empire, three of the four main Elementals thrived. Conditions were perfect to attempt a spell, all he needed to do was make sure he focused enough to call for the correct ones this time.

_ The four Cray Elementals are Water, Wind, Fire, and Earth. The spirits of the elements are everywhere around us, waiting for us to ask them to lend us their strength. If you but ask-- _

Aichi was vaguely aware of Kai’s presence, rustling closer. 

_ Aichi? Aichi, are you listening to me or are you daydreaming again? Ahmes wants me to train you, you know! _

The ground trembled and cracked under Aichi’s hands, the earth shifting and rising in front of him. His hands were conduits for the power of the Elementals flowing in and out of him like a current, until the energy buildup split the very earth. He was aware of Kai’s shout of alarm and a loud grunt, and looked up to see a mess of rubble and dust surrounding Kai, who now knelt on the ground. 

“You’re a good teacher, Marron,” he whispered weakly before slumping over in exhaustion.

Distinctly human hands gripped him under the arms and lifted him to his feet; he heard Miwa talking but could only make out every other word. 

“Aichi?”

Kai’s voice, now. More concerned than usual.

“Dizzy,” Aichi mumbled. Even the pain in his body seemed to be numbing now, though his vision was returning. “Tired.”

He could see the ground at his feet better now. Miwa let him shuffle along, though he kept a firm grip on Aichi’s waist to keep him upright. If Aichi hadn’t been so thoroughly exhausted, maybe he would be embarrassed to be dragged back to the palace like this. He answered Miwa’s questions the best he could, trying to speak in complete sentences to make it seem like he wasn’t about to pass out.

When Kai spoke next, it sounded faint, like he was speaking from across a spacious, echoing room. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

An odd question; of course Aichi would be here. “I have to be, don’t I?”

When they reached his quarters, he shook off the suggestion that Miwa get a healer to look at him. There was no need for that. He just needed to sleep, after all. The early mornings and long, grueling days had finally caught up to him. 

The room was enormous, too big for one small human, with an equally large bed. It beckoned for him; he was so tired he couldn’t bring himself to change out of his light armor. It would be uncomfortable to wake up in it, but that was a problem that tomorrow’s Aichi would have to deal with. 

He dragged his feet closer to the bed. Sleep…

...sounded so good.

* * *

As always, Kai woke before the sun, despite his exhaustion from holding back Aichi's intense attack from the night before. It was a far cry from the paltry fire attack he had tried on their first meeting; a light warmth bubbled up in his chest, as though he were feeling some pride on behalf of the little Vanguard.

But he was still concerned about how pale Aichi was, how he could barely walk unassisted, and how he had been answering questions that neither Kai nor Miwa had asked in sentences lacking any context whatsoever.

He dressed carefully, in casual clothing -- no heavy armor or thick robes -- and left the room, motioning without looking for the guards to relax their stances.

Nehalem stood in front of Aichi's door. Kai considered it for a second, how he didn't really need to set a guard there when Aichi posed no threat to him anymore. For Aichi's sake, perhaps he would continue; though he couldn't imagine anyone in his palace would seek to harm the Royal Paladins' Vanguard, he had long since learned never to fully trust anyone.

One knock, two knocks, three knocks, without a response, and he opened the door.

"Aichi, are you-"

His sight in the dark was more than sufficient to see Aichi's collapsed body on the floor, near the base of his bed.

It took three strides to clear the room and kneel by Aichi's side; he had landed on his arm, tucked under his body. Kai reached out and rolled him over onto his back, hand fumbling for Aichi's wrist, which he held between two trembling fingers.

A faint thrum of his heart, slow and steady as a rhythmic drum beat. He still breathed, chest rising in shallow intervals that seemed too spaced apart to ensure proper oxygen filled his lungs.

"Nehalem!"

The knight peered around the door frame. "Yes, my Va-"

"Get Genjo, now."

Nehalem barely gave the scene in front of him a second thought before turning on his heel and sprinting away.

“Aichi? Aichi!” 

Aichi’s head lolled against Kai’s chest, face pale. He still wore his dusty light armor from the night before, and his hair was matted with sweat and dirt. 

“Damn it.” Kai scooped Aichi up into his arms and carried him to the bed. His body was light, almost delicate, as he laid him down. Was this his fault? Had he overworked Aichi to this point? 

His Empire had been at peace for two years, since he had taken over for his father. He knew the Dragonic Overlord would disapprove of his softness, but did it really matter? Was putting lives at risk for the sake of meaningless war any better than advancing technology and rebuilding towns? He didn't want to go back to war with the United Sanctuary. That was why he had to make sure that Sendou Aichi was well, because anything less would ruin the tenuous ceasefire. 

He sat on the bed next to the unconscious paladin and held his wrist, feeling the faint throbs of his heartbeat, and waited uselessly for a healer. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai reluctantly turns to the Angel Feathers for help with Aichi. The Vanguard Suiko has a grim diagnosis.

Kai waited by the window, arms folded tightly across his chest. Genjo sat by Aichi’s side, touching and prodding various parts of his body, her back to Kai. He couldn’t see her expression, but he could tell from the tilt of her head and her hunched shoulders that she wasn’t having much success. 

At one point during the examination, Miwa slipped into the room, face lined with worry. Word must have traveled fast in the palace. “The Angel Feathers,” he began, but Kai sent him away to lead the day’s training. Kai wanted nothing less than to summon the Angels to deal with this. There were plenty of perfectly capable healers in the Dragon Empire. 

Or so he thought.

When Genjo approached Kai after an hour of examination, the dejected look on her face told Kai everything he needed to know. She didn’t understand why Aichi wouldn’t wake, nor how to wake him. Her final diagnosis, however, made Kai feel worse than before. 

“There is nothing physically wrong with him.”

Kai jabbed a finger in Aichi’s direction. “Nothing wrong with him? He’s been unconscious since last evening!” 

Genjo flinched at Kai’s raised voice. He lowered his hand in concession. “I’m sorry, my Vanguard, but I have found no explanation for his collapse. He has a sprained wrist, which I believe was from when he fell on it, and his body is covered in bruises, but I do not believe even collapsing from exhaustion would not keep him unconscious for this long.”

The bruises were from the training. Kai felt a twinge of guilt. The Royal Paladins had left Aichi in his care as a gesture of trust, and now… “How long is... this... going to go on?” he asked, knowing before she even shook her head that there was no way to tell.

“I’m sorry, my Vanguard,” she said again. 

He turned toward the window, where the sun had risen fully and the sounds of the morning’s daily training echoed. From here, he could see the shrine of his father and wondered, not for the first time since the Royal Paladins had come seeking his help, what his father would do in this situation.

_ You’re not him, _ Miwa had reminded him, but sometimes Kai wished he was.

It would make this so much easier. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, “you can go.”

He waited for the door to close before he leaned his head on the glass and closed his eyes.

* * *

The next few days passed in a whirl, Kai barely registering the healers who had come from all clans of the Dragon Empire to examine the still-unresponsive Paladin lying in Kai’s guest chambers. Each tried different medications and spells; each was wholly unsuccessful. With each new day and each new attempt, Kai became more restless. The thought of how the Royal Paladins would react when they found out about their Vanguard’s condition kept Kai awake at night and caused him to lash out in irritation at everyone around him. The only ones who would willingly stay near him were Miwa and Nehalem -- though in Nehalem’s case, it may have been more out of contractual obligation than friendship. 

When the last healer from Nubatama closed the door behind himself, Kai sat heavily in the chair next to Aichi’s head, placing his head in his hands. 

“If I’d known you would be this much trouble, I’d have sent you back to the United Sanctuary the day you showed up asking for help,” he said irritably. 

Aichi, of course, did not answer.

“I’d send you back now if Alfred wouldn’t think I did something to you.”

No answer. Kai pulled his hands down in frustration.

“Why the hell won’t you just wake up!”

A soft knock at the door.

_ “What!”  _

“It’s me,” came Miwa’s muffled voice from the other side before the door opened. 

He looked every bit as tired as Kai had seen him; his normally bright eyes were drooping and he held himself poorly. It was no wonder; Kai had been sending him out to the other clans all week to collect healers. The fewer people who knew about Aichi’s condition, the better. Still, Miwa had barely slept and it showed.

Miwa closed the door. “Kai.”

“What?” Kai spoke in a softer tone this time.

“I know you don’t want to hear this--”

“And yet you’re going to say it anyway.”

“Yes, I am.” Miwa’s voice was firm. “Kai, summon the Angel Feathers.”

“Absolutely not.”

“King Alfred will find out about this before too much longer.”

Kai gritted his teeth, catching part of his tongue between two of his back carnassials and drawing blood. 

“Kai, please.” Miwa knelt next to Kai’s chair. “The Angels are unpleasant but they have medical technology no one else has. At the very least, they can monitor him to make sure his condition doesn’t worsen.”

“We don’t even know what his condition  _ is, _” Kai said wearily. 

“If anyone can figure out what it is, it’s them. It’s them or no one. Please, Kai.”

Kai had seen many deaths in his life, starting with his parents. Prisoners of war died in his father’s care; it was why war raged unceasingly for so many years. The Dragonic Overlord had relished the thrill of battle. But Kai didn’t. He didn’t want to spark another war during a time of peace. 

_ What would my father do? _

He would let the little Paladin die. 

_ It doesn’t matter because you’re not him. _

Miwa’s hand grasped his. 

“All right,” Kai whispered. “Send for... “ He cycled through the few Angels whose names he could remember. Not Shamsiel, the Chief Nurse. Not Zerachiel. Not Ramiel. And certainly not the Vanguard. “Ergodiel,” he said finally. “Send for her immediately, but keep it under wraps. Don’t mention Aichi until she gets here.”

Miwa straightened up, letting Kai’s hand slip from his grip. “If I say it’s for you, they’ll only send an important Angel to deal with you, you know.”

Kai knew this. But it was the only way to guarantee that she would come quickly. “Just tell her to hurry.”

* * *

_ Swirls of blue and purple in every shade surrounded him, giving him the impression of being trapped underwater. His head pounded.  _

Where am I,  _ he tried to say, but his voice was silent. He tried again, and again, putting his hand to his throat to feel the vibrations of his throat, but still, no sound.  _

_ He had subconsciously curled in on himself.  _

_ Tiny white lights twinkled all around him, like millions of little stars. Like the space beyond the skies of Cray. Perhaps that was where he was, surrounded by stars in the vast expanse of space.  _

_ A sound. _

_ He strained his ears to hear it again. A sound like a sigh. An  _ ah, _ but just a little different.  _

_...ai… _

_ He looked around but saw nothing. Simply the blue and purple, the pinpricks of light. _

_ The pinpricks of light that were… _

_ K...a… _

_ Slowly blinking out. _

_ Kai... _

A sharp rap at the door jolted Kai out of his half-sleep. He rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand and stood, trying to shake off the uneasiness he still felt from the dream. The details of it were slipping from his memory like a sieve trying to hold in water. “Enter,” he said, trying and failing to keep the weariness out of his voice.

The door swung open. In strode two women; the first, with incredibly long hair and glasses, didn’t bother to hide or even minimize her enormous crimson wings. The second, who peeked from around her companion’s wings, kept her blue hair and white wings short. Kai exhaled slowly at the sight of them, because for Metatron to show up with the Angel Feather Vanguard in tow, he would have no chance of keeping Aichi’s condition secret from the Royal Paladins for much longer. Miwa had been right; they were only going to send an important Angel to tend to a Vanguard. He just wished it hadn’t been these two, and in particular the Vanguard, Tatsunagi Suiko. 

“I asked for Ergodiel,” he said in lieu of a proper greeting.

“Shame.” Suiko stepped around him and peered down at Aichi’s unmoving form. “Ergodiel went to Shamsiel, who delegated this important task to me.”

Metatron stood on the other side of the bed, her wings flayed across the room. Kai crossed his arms and scowled. “He’s smaller than I envisioned,” she remarked, adjusting her glasses as she looked down at him.

Suiko hummed in agreement and touched her finger to Aichi’s cheek. “There’s a lot of goodness in such a small form, though. The heart monitor, Metatron?”

The Angels went to work, setting up a number of small machines and connecting them to Aichi’s fingers, his chest, and his legs; Kai turned away as they shamelessly stripped him down to his undergarments. They didn’t seem to be the slightest bit embarrassed about the whole thing, though he supposed they  _ were  _ doctors, of some sort, anyway, so they had probably examined their patients far more intimately than this. He pulled his arms even closer as Metatron pulled out an unnecessarily large needle.

“It’s been how long, Lord Kai?”

“Six days.” 

“Has he been fed?”

“Liquids, yes.” 

Suiko hummed again. “He’ll need to be washed.”

“His blood pressure is low, but not outside normal range, my Vanguard. His brain’s electrical impulses are also quite high.”

“I noticed. That’s incredibly unusual for a patient who is simply unconscious.”

They hovered over him, watching the monitor of their heart machine beat out a steady  _ thump, thump, thump  _ while a second monitor hooked up to Aichi’s head, with sharp lines going up and down, seemed to be overexcited. Kai had no idea what any of it meant, but Suiko was the Vanguard of the clan of top-class healers, so he had no choice but to believe she knew what she was doing.

“Overlord.”

“What.”

“Your messenger told us that Sendou Aichi was acting strange the night he collapsed. What exactly happened?”

Kai thought back to their sparring match, about how Aichi had been pale as he used the elemental energy, about how he had all but collapsed from exhaustion afterward. About how Kai and Miwa had to drag him back to the palace as he mumbled incoherently.

Suiko listened, her face impassive. “What was he saying?”

“None of it made any sense.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kai closed his eyes, trying to recall. “He said something about… homework? Going somewhere after… something…”

Metatron and Suiko exchanged a puzzled look. 

“He was just delirious.” Kai crossed his arms. “I thought he was dehydrated.”

“He is,” Metatron said.

“You should give him more water,” Suiko agreed, “but I think…”

She busied herself with some task, leaning over Aichi, shining a light in his face, checking his ears. Kai moved away toward the window when she rolled him over and started wiping him down with a wet cloth. The sun was already beginning to set; it had now been exactly six full days since Aichi had fallen unconscious. He watched as the moons rose on the horizon and the sun vanished completely, leaving behind a sky of dark blues and purples, with tiny blinking lights dotted across the dark canvas.

A sight he had seen every night for his entire life, yet there was something unnerving about it this time. 

“Overlord.”

He turned away from the window. Suiko stood close by, a grim look on her face. All hopes that the Angels would be able to solve this mystery evaporated.

“I can tell you for certain that there is, with the exception of some bruising and a sprained wrist, nothing to explain why he collapsed.”

Each word she spoke set Kai’s tolerance level plummeting. “You’re just telling me what I already know! What the hell was the point in bringing you here if you were just going to be--”

Suiko jammed a finger in Kai’s chest, the audacity of which took Kai so aback that he fell silent. “Don’t you  _ even  _ start. You send your messenger to my clan without even telling us why you, specifically, are requesting our help and now you insult me to my face? I could take this straight to King Alfred, Kai Toshiki.”

Kai clenched his teeth as they stared straight into each other’s faces. Suiko didn’t even flinch as he narrowed his eyes at her. 

It was admirable, in a way.

“Fine,” he said finally. “Did you discover  _ anything _ that might be helpful?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Suiko gestured Kai over to the bed and leaned over Aichi. “Look.” 

She opened one of his eyes. It lolled rapidly in all directions; Kai felt somewhat nauseated looking at it, so he looked away. 

“You’re not looking.”

“I saw enough,” Kai growled. “Get to the point.”

Suiko  _ tsk _ ed and pulled up one of the screens, the one with the sharp lines. “His body is acting like it would in a deep sleep. But it doesn’t match up with this. This machine measures brain activity. In a normal, awake human, this is what brain activity should look like.” She pointed at the screen. All Kai saw were squiggle lines. “And this is what Sendou Aichi’s brain activity looks like.” 

“It all looks the same to me,” Kai muttered.

“Because it  _ is. _ ” 

Suiko seemed so eager for Kai to grasp what she was trying to say that he felt kind of stupid when he didn’t. “Are you saying… he’s awake?”

“Yes and no.”

Kai waited for an explanation and received none, so he held his hands out expectantly. 

Suiko rubbed her head and sighed. “There’s a concept that the Conglomerate discovered called lucid dreaming. The body enters a state of total rest while the mind is transported into a dream state.”

It was already a lot to take in, but something in her explanation didn’t add up. “You said his mind showed normal activity for a person who’s awake. So if he were dreaming, wouldn’t his brain activity be… different?”

“Yes.” She seemed pleased that he grasped this so quickly. He was still terribly confused. “I think he has unconsciously gone into a state of lucid dreaming where he has convinced himself that he is, in fact, awake.”

Kai looked down at Aichi, whose slow, methodical breathing was the only outward sign that he was still alive. “How do we wake him up from this… dream?”

“I don’t know much about it since it’s hard to study, but the Oracles and Genesis would be able to help.”

The Oracles. Tokura Misaki was particularly close to the Paladins. Bringing her here would be terribly risky. “But there’s a chance he’ll just wake up on his own, right?”

“I would imagine so. But, like I said, I don’t know much.”

He breathed out heavily. He knew more than he did before, but he still didn’t understand most of it. At least now he knew  _ what  _ had happened. 

The only thing now was to reverse it.

“Tatsunagi.” 

“Mm?” 

“Will you be telling Alfred?”

“If he asks.” Suiko pulled a bag of liquid from her case and handed it to Metatron. “I won’t lie to the king.”

“If he doesn’t ask?”

Suiko shrugged. “Are you worried?”

He was. Because if Aichi didn’t wake back up…

He turned and leaned his head against the window pane again, taking in the familiar, swirling galaxies lying beyond the stars. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahmes and the Gold Paladins venture into the Dark Zone in search of Junos. Kai has an unsettling dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter includes two scenes I took from another fic of mine, [The Dream-Bordering World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414060). It will undoubtedly feel familiar to some of you. I wrote that fic when I wasn't sure if I was even going to write this one otherwise that whole thing would have been in this chapter.

The nation of the Dark Zone lived up to its name in more ways than one. 

The land itself was dark, with barren fields, treeless forests, and storm clouds overhead that never seemed to rain. Not even a single ray of sunshine could breach the darkness overhead. Most of all, the citizens of the Dark Zone were a terrible, lawless lot of the worst Cray had to offer -- demons, succubi, werewolves, and vampires roamed the lands freely, hunting weaker beings with sadistic pleasure. 

Accompanied by a small, handpicked group of Gold Paladins, Ahmes had ventured into the Dark Zone to the south of the United Sanctuary in search of Junos, wielder of the cursed blade that stood in opposition to the one Ahmes wore on his back. He did not expect the journey to be simple. Indeed, it was not; just three days into their trek, they had been unable to avoid notice of a group of demons caught up in a riveting game of Gallows Ball and couldn’t get away until they humored the Spike Brothers by participating. Miraculously, the worst injuries befalling Ahmes’s party were a few minor burns, a temporarily dislocated shoulder, and a smattering of deep gashes to the arms and hands before they were able to slip away in the midst of confusion about an explosion halfway down the field. 

“Never understood the appeal of the murder ball game,” commented one of Ezel’s most trusted warriors, the Battlefield Storm, Sagramore. He walked slowly as Viviane cleaned and wrapped the gash Sagramore had sustained on top of a burn from an exploding ball. “Having now played it, I find it even more unpleasant.” 

Despite taking the brunt of the injuries, Sagramore was calm and did not once complain as Viviane finished bandaging his wrist. Ahmes admired that. Ezel truly had picked an extraordinary team--Sagramore, Viviane, Beaumains, Gareth, and Dindrane were all highly capable warriors with unmatched speed and agility. 

Gareth stretched his arm across his body. It had been his arm that dislocated before Beaumains shoved it back in place, a process that Gareth had dramatically lamented until Viviane prodded him in the abdomen with her bow. “Once we find a quiet place to stay for the night, I’m ready for some sleep.”

“Shall we draw straws for the first watch?” Dindrane rifled through her bag for a water pouch. 

“I’ll take it,” Ahmes offered. The Gold Paladins had literally thrown their lives into danger for his sake; the least he could do was stay up for a few hours and make sure no harm befell them. 

Ezel gave Ahmes’s shoulder a squeeze. Even through the armor, he could feel the pressure. “Much appreciated, old friend.”

They settled in a cluster of dead trees by a nearly dried-out riverbed and had a fire going in minutes from some of the highly flammable dead tinder littered all over the ground. Dinner consisted of some of their rations--dried jerky and fruit--and after cleaning up, the Gold Paladins pulled out their sleeping rolls and fell asleep. 

Ahmes leaned against the sturdiest tree he could find, settling in for what he hoped was an uneventful four hour watch, and pulled a ream of paper from his pack. A folded letter lay on top of it.

_ Ahmes, _

_ Being in the Dragon Empire has been exhausting… _

Ahmes sighed. Aichi had promised to write every week, but Ahmes wouldn’t be receiving any of those letters as long as he was in this desolate wasteland. At the very least, despite the Overlord’s brutal training regimen, Aichi seemed to be in good health and good spirits. And he seemed to be getting along well with the Overlord, somehow. Ahmes just had to place his trust in Aichi, that he would be able to reach through Kai Toshiki’s armored exterior and find enough compassion for the plight of the rest of the clans that he would agree to help. 

It was Ahmes’s turn to help.

He found a pen and placed it to the tip of a blank piece of paper. He wouldn’t be able to send this letter until they returned to the United Sanctuary, but he could at least chronicle this experience as it happened…

_ Aichi, _

_ It was good to hear from you, and to hear that you are doing well. I am proud of the strength you have shown in your endeavors to save our beloved Cray. To continue your goal of uniting all clans against the Void, I have ventured into the Dark Zone with the Incandescent Lion, Ezel in search of the Blaster Dark... _

* * *

The sun never rose on the Dark Zone so he had no idea what time it was, but Ahmes woke himself up at the same time his traveling companions were beginning to stir. Beaumains, who had taken the last night watch, sat against a tree, whittling a piece of wood into an unidentifiable shape with a pocketknife. Ahmes had learned that Beaumains was a man of few words, and decided not to ask what he was making. Instead, he turned to Ezel, who was poring over a map laid out on the ground. 

“How far are we?”

“Getting closer to Sonne Grab.” Ezel drew a line with his finger. His brows were drawn together, mouth set in a thin line. “Another two days’ journey. It helps that this land is so flat, it makes it easier to cover ground quickly.” He straightened up. “I sent Dindrane ahead to scout. She’s easily the fastest of all of us.”

Ahmes nodded, uneasiness filling his gut. They had encountered the Spike Brothers and escaped fairly unscathed, but they had seen none of the denizens of the Pale Moon Circus, nor the demons of the Dark Irregulars. How was it that they could have come so far without being ambushed?

The quiet, high notes of a violin filled the air around them; Viviane stood on the other side of the now-extinguished fire pit, her bow pulling a soft, slow, nostalgic sound from the strings with practiced ease. With each stroke, picking up speed as the melody continued, Ahmes felt the knot in his stomach ease, and his shoulders relax. Nearby, the tension in Ezel’s face melted away; Gareth leaned against a tree with a smile on his lips, eyes closed. 

_ I’m sure I’ve heard this before,  _ Ahmes thought, allowing Viviane’s skillful playing to drag the worry from him. Gentle and melancholy, peaceful and thoughtful, like a lullaby. 

At the last note, Viviane lowered her bow. “Fret not, my friends, for music is the sound of courage.”

Ezel climbed to his feet, giving her a warm smile. “Thank you, Viviane. I’m always cheered by the sound of your bow.”

“A beautiful piece,” Ahmes added. “Where is it from?”

Viviane pulled the violin and bow together over her shoulder with a leather strap. “It is a piece I heard once in the south pole. It is said that the clans of the Star Gate are closest to a bridge between worlds, guarding the place where the prayers of our world reach another.”

“Marron spoke of this once,” Ahmes said slowly. “They said there is a legend of another world beyond the stars that is connected to Cray.”

“Yes.” Viviane smiled. “Fittingly, that is the name of the piece.  _ Another World. _ ”

The party sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes longer, Viviane’s music filling Ahmes’s body with renewed vigor. He had thought little of Marron’s tales of other worlds and legends of the creation of Cray, but maybe he would ask for Marron to share more when he returned to the Holy City. He knew that Aichi had always loved to listen to Marron’s stories. 

“My Vanguard.”

Ezel’s eyes opened in time to see Dindrane hop out of the trees next to Gareth and land in a graceful crouch. “Welcome back, did you find anything?”

“Spotted some Dark Irregulars a couple miles ahead.”

“How many?”

“Fourteen.”

Sagramore whistled. “Quite a crew.”

“We can take them,” Gareth said, flexing his arm. 

“We  _ can  _ but we  _ shouldn’t _ ,” Ezel said firmly. “We’ve already had one too many skirmishes and we’d like to be in the best shape we can when we get to the real enemy.”

“We can avoid them well enough,” Dindrane piped in. “The riverbed winds away from where they are and as long as they don’t swing due east they won’t see us if we follow it.”

Ezel studied his map again and sighed. Ahmes understood; this would take them a few hours out of their way. But it was safer to avoid the demons if at all possible. The real fight  _ was  _ yet to come. 

* * *

“Kai?”

He blinked several times to focus his eyes; the world around him struggled to catch up.

“Kai-kun?” 

A softer voice. More concerned. Tender, almost.

He leaned his hand on the table in front of him. His fingers tightened around his cards.

“Are you okay?” 

The world stopped spinning, and Kai looked up. Across from the table, Ishida waited.

“You okay, buddy?” Miwa tilted his head at him, eyebrows narrowed. “You look like you’re about to puke.”

His face was hot; an uncomfortable sensation built up in the back of his throat as his mouth became wet. Maybe he  _ was  _ about to throw up. 

“If you do feel sick, please use the toilets and not the fight table,” Tokura said from across the room, barely looking up from her book. 

“Hey, hey, Boss Lady, he don’t look that great.”

“Call me Boss Lady again and you’ll be cleaning the entire club room by yourself tomorrow before school.”

Ishida grimaced and muttered something about Tokura being a scary lady but Kai didn’t comment on it. He instead glanced over where Aichi stood staring intently at him.

“I’m fine,” he said, “just got dizzy is all.”

Nearby, Kamui made a  _ hmph  _ sound, arms crossed. “You worried Big Bro, you jerk.”

“We can finish the fight tomorrow, if you want,” Ishida offered. It was a testament to how bad Kai must look that he didn’t make a comment about his Eradicators being too strong for Kai’s Overlord (they weren’t, of course). 

Still, Kai never left his fights unfinished, but before he could argue to this point, Aichi had chimed in and wrapped his fingers around Kai’s forearm. Kai’s skin tingled at his touch. 

“Yes, that’s a good idea, Naoki-kun.” With his free hand, he collected the cards from the field and damage zone. “I’ll make sure Kai-kun gets home safely.”

* * *

He let Aichi lead him to the bed by the hand. Let Aichi sit him down to wait as he went to make Kai some tea. Listened to the sounds of Aichi digging around in the cupboards for something soothing and decaffeinated as the electric kettle heated the water. 

There was something mundane about it all, yet comforting; a taste of domesticity coloring their budding relationship, calming the anxiety he felt still even two months in. He’d been in love with Aichi for so long that he still had trouble believing it was real, that Aichi loved him back with equal fervor. That doubt dissipated the moment Aichi pressed the hot cup of tea into Kai’s hands.

“Thank you.” Kai lifted the tea to his lips. It was scalding hot, but he sipped it anyway; the aroma of ginger filled his nose and he breathed it in deeply.

Aichi smiled. His hand slid over and rested on Kai’s leg, a simple gesture that had Kai’s entire body shuddering. “Are you feeling better?”

_ Yes _ barely passed Kai’s lips as Aichi’s free hand pressed against Kai’s back at the same time the hand on Kai’s thigh slid inward. Kai cleared his throat weakly. “Yes.”

“That’s good. You should sleep when you’ve finished the tea.”

Either Aichi didn’t realize what his simple touches were doing to Kai or he was doing it intentionally; either way, Kai struggled with the need to touch Aichi in return, to caress his face, to--

“Drink up, Kai-kun.”

The hand on Kai’s thigh moved to hold the bottom of the cup. It was probably for the best; Kai’s own hands shook as he lifted the cup to his lips for another sip.

Another, and another, each guided by Aichi’s firm hand, even as he stroked Kai’s back with feather-light touches that sent shivers up Kai’s spine. With each sip, a word of encouragement.  _ That’s it Kai-kun, keep it up, it’s almost empty, just a few more sips… _

With the last sip, Aichi hummed approvingly and took it from Kai’s hands with both of his. Losing the sensation of Aichi’s fingers running up and down Kai’s back was suddenly too much, and Kai grabbed Aichi’s wrists with unseemly desperation. 

“Kai-kun?”

Aichi’s skin was so soft. 

“Stay,” Kai began, but he lost his voice before he could continue. He looked down at the bed as he released Aichi’s wrists.

“I will,” Aichi assured him. “I’m going to put this in the sink, okay? I’ll come right back.”

Kai nodded, and as Aichi strode from the bed to the kitchen, a few short steps, Kai swallowed and leaned on the bed. 

Maybe he was feverish. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he still felt lonely, despite everything. But he knew he didn’t want Aichi to leave, and he knew that he wanted to feel Aichi touch him.

_ Selfish,  _ he thought.

Aichi’s hands cupped Kai’s face, which burned at the touch. “You’re still warm. Let’s get you--”

Kai grabbed his wrists again, pulling Aichi closer. “Aichi, I--”

How was he supposed to communicate that he wanted Aichi to kiss him, to hold him, to caress his body as they fell asleep together? They had never done anything that physical before, not in the two months since Aichi was able to blurt out that he loved Kai, and Kai was finally able to reciprocate. They’d kissed a few times, held hands, hugged, but in such reserved ways befitting two painfully shy teenage boys who had never been in love before and didn’t know how to be.

“It’s okay.” Aichi’s hands shook a little as he pulled Kai’s face closer. “It’s okay,” he said again, and pressed his mouth against Kai’s. 

* * *

Kai opened his eyes.

His sleep had not been restless; it was calm, and he barely moved as he slept. Yet his sleep had not been restful, either.

He sat up.

“Good morning, sunshine.” 

Miwa poured out a mug of tea and set it on the table by Kai’s bed next to a small platter of sausages. Kai stared at them, somewhat hungry but with no appetite. He looked down at his hands, scaled on the backs in red and gold instead of pale and soft. Some of the teeth he trailed his tongue over were sharp instead of rounded, his upper jaw extended slightly over his bottom one to accomodate for his inhuman teeth. 

“You okay?”

Kai frowned, the image of his dream escaping him each second. Yet the images that remained were so vivid that he couldn’t help but examine his surroundings a second time to ensure he was awake, turning his head to hide the creeping embarrassment of the dream’s contents. Sprawling bed covered in sheets of thick wool, blood red curtains covering the windows, a massive pine door on the other end of the cavernous stone room, windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, covered by enormous black drapes that Miwa had not yet opened to allow in the morning sun. 

“Did I fall asleep here?”

“No, I had Nehalem help carry you here from Aichi’s room.” Miwa tilted his head. “You didn’t even move. I started to worry that you were gonna slip into unconsciousness next.”

“I had a dream,” Kai said, voice flat. 

“Oh?” Miwa lifted an eyebrow and sat on the edge of Kai’s bed. “That’s unusual. About what?”

He hesitated. “I dreamed I was a human.”

“Like… a full human?”

“Yeah. Not on Cray, either.” He put a hand to his head. “I was playing a game of cards… Ishida from Narukami was there. So was…” He took a deep breath. “Aichi.”

If this caught Miwa’s attention, he hid it well. “Who else?”

Kai swung his legs off the bed and walked to the window, pulling back the heavy curtains to let in the soft rays of the waking sun. Before too long, the sun would be high in the sky and blazing hot, the way it always was in Dragon Empire. “You.”

“Oh? And?”

“The Nova pilot, the one from Star Gate.”

“The short one? Katsu… Katsu…” Miwa frowned, scratching his chin. “Katsuragi?”

“I think so. And…” Kai hesitated. He didn’t want to drag her into it, especially not with Miwa, but… “Tokura.”

It took Miwa several seconds to think of a reply, which ended up a simple “oh.”

Kai couldn’t think of any reason for the other two to be in Kai’s dream; he scarcely dreamed at all, let alone of two Vanguards he barely knew, and one of them being from a rival nation, at that. 

But in the dream, they had been friends, and Aichi…

“Miwa.”

Miwa made a strange sort of noise from the back of his throat that may have been an invitation for Kai to speak or a whimper. Kai interpreted it as the former.

“I need you to go to the Oracles and bring Tokura Misaki here.”

The noise again, this one of distress. Kai expected that. “Y-you want me to what?”

“You heard me.” Kai moved away from the window, pulling off his night robes before starting to dress himself for the day. He had almost completed the whole process before Miwa was able to find his voice.   
“The entire border is patrolled by Paladins,” Miwa argued, voice high. “I can’t just walk into United Sanctuary without--”

“I’ll give you the necessary paperwork,” Kai said, exasperated. “We’re not at war right now.”

Miwa snorted, but rubbed his arms close to his chest. “They still don’t like us.”

“Good for them. I need her here by tomorrow night.”

“I love that you think I can get an audience with her by tomorrow morning.”

“You can if you’re on the orders of another Vanguard.”  _ Even for me. _

“Yeah, yeah… do I get to sleep at all anytime soon?”

“Depends on how hospitable the Oracles feel like being.”

Miwa turned around dramatically, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “So, probably not, then.”

Kai felt a twinge of guilt. He had been running Miwa ragged for the better part of a week. He’d have to make it up to him somehow, once all this was resolved. “Miwa?”

Miwa paused by the door. He didn’t bother to mask this sigh, either. “Yes, _ my Vanguard? _ ”

Kai took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. He had to exhaust all avenues, but even he realized that dragging the Royal Paladins into this would be stupid. War would break out the second that the Jewel Knight captain Tatsunagi Kourin learned what happened to Aichi. She was, after all, close to Ahmes. 

Even bringing Tokura here was dangerous. She was friends with Tatsunagi, close friends, but if the Angel Feathers couldn’t find anything physically wrong with Aichi, he needed someone who knew how to connect with Aichi’s psyche. He had no choice.

Well, at least one player in his dream would be easy to summon.

“Before you leave, send for Ishida of the Narukami.”

When the door closed, Kai sat on the edge of the bed, legs shaking. He could still feel the weight of Aichi's hands on his hips.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai struggles with his feelings toward his father. Ahmes and the Gold Paladins finally encounter Junos... and Suzugamori Ren.

Kai slept poorly that night. He had no way of knowing if Miwa had been successful in persuading Tokura Misaki to come to the Dragon Empire. He had no idea if the Angels had told Alfred of Aichi’s condition. He had no idea what he would do if they had. 

The Angels had left detailed instructions on caring for Aichi, a task overseen by Genjo. There was no change in his physical well-being, but Kai stayed in Aichi’s room every night to ensure that nothing happened to him while Genjo slept. A combination of the anxiety and physical discomfort were probably to blame for his poor sleep the past few days, yet he couldn’t bring himself to go to sleep in his own bed instead of in a straight-backed chair. Regrettably, he still had to meet with Ishida of the Narukami in the early afternoon, despite how tired he must have looked. 

The sun was not yet up, but Genjo would be here soon, and Kai couldn’t sit still any longer. He wandered into the hallway, where Nehalem stood dutifully for his early shift, dressed in full armor. He followed Kai’s habit of waking up too early for most people; Kai wondered how tired he must be with all of this going on, especially since Nehalem had been helping Miwa in the numerous tasks Kai had been dumping on him. If Miwa was tired, Nehalem certainly was, too.

“Nehalem,” he said, failing to keep the weariness out of his voice, “I need your help with something.”

Nehalem nodded and followed Kai to Kai’s chambers, hesitating just long enough when Kai gestured for him to enter to indicate reluctance. It was no wonder; Miwa was the only one allowed to enter. 

“It’s fine,” Kai assured him. 

It was Miwa’s job, typically, to help dress Kai in his formal robes, armor, and jewelry. Many pieces were either too delicate for Kai’s clawed fingers to handle properly or had to be put on in a way that was difficult to do with just two hands. But Miwa wasn’t here, and it fell to Nehalem to help Kai tie off the golden belts, clasp the earrings over Kai’s ears, and lace Kai’s gauntlets. If Nehalem was confused about Kai dressing in formal clothing this early in the morning without expecting a formal audience, he said nothing. Kai was grateful. 

They left the palace together, each step filling Kai with dread. Since becoming Vanguard three years ago, he had only done this four times, and this would be the second time in as many weeks. 

_ There’s nothing to be afraid of,  _ he tried to remind himself, but the fear gripped him regardless.

“My Vanguard?”

Kai looked up. They had stopped in front of a plain door set in a smooth mound of stone. Next to him, Nehalem eyed the door curiously -- or as curiously as Nehalem could ever eye something -- but Kai knew he would never ask what it was, because Kai wouldn’t say.

He sighed and reached in his robes for a key. “Nehalem, please oversee the morning’s training. When Ishida of the Narukami arrives, have him wait in the audience chamber.”

Nehalem bowed and swept off without a word, leaving Kai to face the nondescript door alone. 

With another sigh, he unlocked it and entered the dark corridor leading down into the dark, fortified chambers below the palace.

He had to unlock several doors down a winding corridor that split off into a series of other tunnels. He opened each door with a different key; despite coming down here so infrequently, Kai knew the path to take and the order of the keys by touch. This place was designed to safeguard the most irreplaceable asset of the Dragon Empire. It wouldn’t do for it to be a simple task to find it.

With each step, he felt the aura he sought, thicker and thicker until it was almost stifling, until he faced the final door made of the strongest metal on Cray and closed his eyes.

He pushed the door open.

The deepest chamber was a cavernous room carved out of the natural rock beneath the Empire; despite there being no visitors to this room besides Kai, glowing red orbs burned brightly in crevices throughout the room. Kai walked to the center, where an enormous, ornately carved coffin sat atop a raised dais, and knelt next to it.

His clawed fingers traced the draconic language etched into the coffin, inlaid with gold and precious gems. He knew without looking that the emblem of the Kagero clan was carved into the lid of the coffin as well. 

_ The desire for strength _

_ Fueled the dragon _

_ And with the last of his will, _

_ He achieved his greatest wish: _

_ “This life, right now, exists for the sake of this single moment, this single instant, in time and no other." _

“I’m-I’m back.” He bit his tongue, cursing himself for stammering, and drew blood. His mouth tasted of metal that trickled down the back of his throat. He took a breath and continued. “I came here to remind myself of the consequences of unbridled warfare.”

There was, of course, no response.

“You gave me life, Father. I wanted to be like you.” Kai looked up at the coffin. “I tried so hard to do what I thought would please you. But I can’t please you as I am.” Tears stung the corners of his eyes. “I’m too soft. Too soft to be you… but I’m trying to find my own way, as the Dragonic Overlord.”

Though he was young when his parents were killed in an attack on his village on the outskirts of the Dragon Empire, he remembered that night vividly. He could still smell the burning bodies, he could hear the screams of his dying parents, he could feel the bubbling and blistering of his blackening skin. The heat of the flames engulfing his home dried out his eyes, so he could not cry. He could remember the human hands that picked his little body up, cradled him against a strong chest. He never knew who had saved him, just that they brought him to the Overlord and offered him up, as a sacrifice or an offering or a reward, he would never know. 

But the pain of the burns was nothing compared to the feeling of the Overlord’s will infusing itself in his body.

His very bone structure had changed in an instant; human hands became more clawlike, his teeth grew longer and sharper and his jaw reformed to make room for his new incisors, his skin hardened and reformed into scales along the top of his arms and sides and neck, a tail grew from his spine, two small bone growths formed in his upper back where wings tried and failed to form. 

He had survived that war, but came out an entirely new creature, unlike any that had existed in the Dragon Empire before or since. A human boy, who was now partly a dragon. 

The new heir to the title of Dragonic Overlord, reborn, given life by the great Dragon himself. 

He worked hard to prove himself to the other warriors of the Empire. Years of grueling training, years of hardening himself against human attachments, years of growing cold toward everyone, including the only man he considered a true friend. 

Yet he found himself overly attached to a human from an enemy clan, and for what? The possibility of war, and the possibility of another young boy losing his parents and his future to worthless bloodshed. 

Ahmes and the Dragon had been enemies, rivals, for years. His father thirsted for the thrill of that fight each time they met on the battlefield. Kai had always found it odd, that the Overlord would not seek out the Vanguard, but would push his son to seek him out. Yet Kai never felt the same thrill fighting Lord Daigo that his father did fighting Ahmes. The Overlord and the Blaster Blade were soulmates, destined to clash for eternity.

He leaned his head against his father’s coffin. 

“If he was your rival, Aichi is mine, then…”

That was it, surely; his determination to reawaken Aichi was driven by the same primal desire to best his rival. That was the will of his father, burned into his very soul. 

_ Seek him out, your soulmate… _

Those dreams of him, those inexplicable dreams where he was human again in some other world, were faint in his memory, except for that feeling...

_ Soft hands on his face, neck, shoulders, chest, hips. Soft lips touching the curve of his neck, warm breath tickling the skin. A gentle voice whispering his name, over and over as their lips meet, pull away, meet, their breathless laughter coming together in this tender moment... _

Kai shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. He’d spent long enough here.

* * *

Ezel crouched over his map, folded and unfolded and crinkled so Ahmes could barely read it at this point. But when Ezel straightened back up and declared that they had reached their destination, the other Paladins appeared satisfied.

The enormous black palace was surrounded by an ominous red glow, silhouetted by one of the moons of Cray. Bats flew around the palace in a grotesquely comical way, like they would in children’s picture books about the otherworldly demons of the Dark Irregulars.

Even children’s fiction had a basis in reality. 

“Let’s go,” Ahmes said, strangely calm. 

The Gold Paladins nodded in unison and followed Ahmes to the massive front doors, made entirely out of a heavy metal. As they approached, the doors opened, as Ahmes suspected they would.

Junos  _ would  _ know they were here, after all.

Their footsteps echoed in the dark entry hall until the torch brackets lining the walls burst into flames around them. Looking up to the top of a set of winding staircases, Ahmes saw a figure cloaked entirely in black; an arm swept out from under the cloak, beckoning them on before vanishing.

“Couldn’t be a more obvious trap,” Gareth muttered. 

“Well,” Sagramore said cheerily, “it wouldn’t do to let such a hospitable trap go untriggered.”

They headed up the stairs, where a door in the center of the landing opened on its own, and Ahmes sensed true danger for the first time. 

He slowly pulled his blade from his back and strode forward, into the doorway. Behind him, the Gold Paladins followed suit.

The room was cavernous, yet dark. Ahmes could barely make out the shadow of a raised platform in the center of the room before a shadowed figure dropped onto it from a bar hanging from the ceiling and a lilting female voice filled the air.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Pale Moon Circus!”

The stage was instantly illuminated from stage lights around the base of the platform and from the ceiling, revealing a woman in a blue ringmaster’s suit and top hat twirling a baton. Ahmes recognized her immediately,

Narumi Asaka, Vanguard of the Pale Moon Circus. 

“We are so pleased to welcome our guests, the legendary Blaster Blade and his wandering friends of the Gold Paladins!” 

There was a soft grunt behind Ahmes as a bright light shone directly on them; he put his arm up to block the light, his grip tightening on his blade.

Asaka held her hands in the air as though speaking to a tent packed with individuals eager to witness the famously macabre circus performance. “Without further ado, let the curtains rise… on Act One!”

If he hadn’t been prepared for it, Junos’s attack would likely have injured him; he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and stepped to the side to avoid it. 

“Blaster Bl--”

“Ah-ah! Spectators should stay put!”

When Asaka snapped her fingers, a towering ring of flames surrounded the Gold Paladins, separating them from Ahmes. But he had no time to think on this; Junos was extremely fast, and extremely determined.

Their blades clashed with a blinding spark of light; Junos spun, swinging his blade around to the opposite side. To avoid it, Ahmes was forced to drop to one knee and swung his own sword up to Junos’s chest. Junos danced back, a mischievous grin on his face as the tip of the blade scratched Junos’s breastplate. 

“What a wonderful look in your eyes, Blaster Blade,” he jeered as he easily maneuvered out of Ahmes’s immediate reach. Their blades clashed again, shooting sparks around them. “What brings you to me?”

Their blades met several times in quick succession, each mirroring the other’s swift movements exactly. 

“I am here on my Vanguard’s behalf,” Ahmes said through gritted teeth. No matter how hard he pushed, Junos pushed back with equal force, his determination powering his blade. 

“For?”

This time, the force of the legendary blades colliding forced the two swordsmen back several feet; Ahmes seized the opportunity out of Junos’s melee range to prepare the Blaster Blade, now pulsing with power.

Junos mirrored him once more, the Blaster Dark crackling with an equal force of energy. 

Ahmes waited patiently, something Junos rarely did. The moment Junos’s arm so much as twitched downward, the force of their Blasters would finally meet...

A slow clapping broke the silence, and Junos’s gaze flickered from Ahmes’s at last, the crackling energy of his blade subsiding. 

“What a wonderful show, you’ve put on, Asaka!”

Asaka bowed deeply as a slender man in black armor and long red hair came into view. “Of course, Master Ren.”

Suzugamori Ren, Vanguard of the Shadow Paladins, stopped between the two legendary Blasters, peering between them curiously. “Of course, it was a nice show from you two, also.”

“My Vanguard,” Junos muttered, clearly disgruntled over his fight being interrupted. 

“Oh, don’t be so fussy, Blaster Dark.” Ren pouted, placing his hands on his hips. “I didn’t want you to  _ actually  _ obliterate this palace. It would make the Marquis so very unhappy, I bet. Right? Right, Tetsu?”

A large, bearded man in green armored robes joined Ren next to the stage. Shinjou Tetsu, the top general of the Demon Marquis Amon’s army. “He’s only letting you stay here; don’t go ruining the place.”

Junos straightened up, pressing the tip of his blade into the floor. Ahmes followed suit and tried to ignore Ren as he circled Ahmes like a curious cat. 

“You’re so tall.” Ren stopped in front of him and tilted his head. “So many tall knights. Him, too.” He pointed at Ezel, who was still rooted in place by Asaka’s fire circle. “Blaster Dark knew you were coming, but why?”

“We came here to speak to you.” Ahmes met Ren’s gaze, the pupils of his scarlet eyes slitted like a cat stalking its prey. “On behalf of our Vanguard.”

Ren’s expression changed instantly, his face lighting up. “Aichi? I haven’t seen him in ages. Where is he?”

Aichi and Ren had only met once, when Aichi first became Vanguard. Alfred had invited the Vanguards of the United Sanctuary to welcome him, and had been surprised when Ren accepted. Ahmes got the impression that Ren intimidated Aichi, but apparently Aichi had made more of an impression on Ren than Ahmes thought. 

“In the Dragon Empire.”

“Ohhhh.” Ren put his finger to his lips. “Did he finally meet Kai?”

Suzugamori Ren was a very odd man, Ahmes decided. “Yes, and--”

“My Vanguard,” Junos interrupted, “perhaps we should take this--”

“No, no, it’s okay. Blaster Blade, go ahead and say what you’re here for so I can get back to my nap.”

Ahmes caught Sagramore out of the corner of his eye mouthing the words  _ a nap?  _ and Vivian rubbing her forehead. “Would you kindly free my companions from the fire circle?”

“Yeah, yeah,  _ after  _ you tell me what you want.” Ren’s eyes glistened. 

Ahmes sighed through his nose. He needed to be concise with this one. “The Vanguard of the Oracle Think Tank--”

“Oh, Misa-ki!” Ren clapped his hands together, clearly delighted. 

Ahmes frowned, debating for a moment whether it was worth correcting Ren. “...Yes. She had a vision of a powerful invading force attacking Cray about five months from now. Sendou Aichi seeks to bring together all clans of Cray to fight the invaders.”

He let the implication hang in the air, knowing that if Ren didn’t pick up on it, someone would. He was loathe to say the words outright. 

“So,” Tetsu said slowly, “you need our help.”

Ahmes clenched his jaw. Junos’s eyes widened in surprise before a terrible grin split his face.

“Oh, so the legendary Swordsman of Light needs the help of the denizens of darkness?” Junos laughed, a deep, full-chested sound that filled Ahmes with the urge to hit him with his sword. “How rich! Why should we help you?”

“I am not the one in need of help,” Ahmes said through gritted teeth, “but the entire planet of Cray.”

“And why do you think--”

“Okay,” Ren interrupted, and Junos’s laugh fell silent. 

“What?” Junos said.

“What?” Ahmes echoed, unsure of the context of Ren’s agreement. 

Ren shrugged. “Okay, we’ll help.”

There was a long pause.

“What?” Tetsu added unhelpfully.

“Oh come on, what part of  _ okay  _ are you all not getting?” Ren put his hands on his hips. “I live on Cray and if some bad guys are going to try to destroy my home...” He let the sentence hang, eyes glistening again.

“...thank you,” Ahmes said uncertainly. 

Ren shrugged. “I want to see Aichi.”

“He should return to the United Sanctuary in about two weeks,” Ahmes said. “He will be holding a meeting of Vanguards shortly thereafter.”

“Yay!” Ren smiled, clapping his hands together again. “I hope I get to see Kai again, too.”

There was no reason that Kai would feel the same way, but Ahmes just inclined his head noncommittally. “Okay, now that that’s settled, I’m going back to sleep. Good night!” 

And without another word, he walked off, humming to himself. 

Junos, Ahmes, Tetsu, Asaka, and all the paladins stared at each other in silence.

* * *

Kai closed the door of the crypt behind him, locked it, and headed back into the palace. It was midmorning now, still a little too early for Ishida to be here, so he decided to change out of his ceremonial garb and into something that was actually comfortable. He ignored the startled greetings from the guards posted at the entrance, unused to seeing him dressed like this, and headed down the hall toward his chambers. As he rounded a corner, he was met by Miwa, who looked as tired as Kai had ever seen him, and stopped abruptly. 

“Miwa? Why are you back so early?”

Miwa pointed over Kai’s shoulder, toward the hallway leading to Aichi’s quarters. “We have a guest.”

Abandoning his desire to remove his garb, he hurried down the hallway, Miwa right behind him; when he reached Aichi’s room, he found the door slightly ajar. 

A woman in a lavender kimono stood over Aichi, her hand on his forehead and back to the door. When Kai entered the room, she turned her head just enough to take in Kai’s attire and turned her attention back to Aichi.

“Kai Toshiki, you’ve kept me waiting,” Tokura Misaki said softly. 


End file.
